Mahon and Department of Public Works, Housing and Racing

Application number:
2006 F0245
Decision date:
Friday, Dec 08, 2006

Mahon and Department of Public Works, Housing and Racing
(
2006 F0245, 8 December 2006)

Sufficiency of search

The applicant in this case applied for a review of the 'sufficiency of search' conducted by the Department of Housing (the Department) for documents relating to his complaint about a tenant of the Department.  The applicant contended that there was reason to believe that further documents, including notes of the Department’s communications with the Caboolture Shire Council, existed in the Departments possession or control.  Further searches were performed during the course of the review, but no further documents responsive to the applicant's freedom of information application were located.

Applying the principles stated in Shepherd and Department of Housing, Local Government & Planning (1994) 1 QAR 464, Assistant Commissioner Gittins affirmed the decision under review as she was satisfied that there were no reasonable grounds for believing that there exists any further documents falling within the terms of the applicant’s freedom of information access application, in the possession or under the control of the Department.  The searches and inquiries conducted by the Department in an effort to locate any further responsive documents were reasonable in all the circumstances of the case.