Manning and Griffith University

Application number:
2001 S0237
Decision date:
Tuesday, May 21, 2002

Manning and Griffith University
(2001 S0237, 21 May 2002) 

The applicant, who was enrolled as an undergraduate at the University's School of Applied Psychology in 2000, made complaints to the University about the delivery of one of the subjects she studied, the assessment of her work in that subject, and her final grading.  The University investigated the applicant's complaints, but the applicant was not satisfied with the outcome. She subsequently applied for access to all documents relating to her complaints and the University's investigation. 

The University refused access to some documents and parts of documents but, in the course of the review, the matter in issue was reduced to one segment of information — a brief comment by the applicant's supervisor in the disputed subject, made in the margin of a document written by the applicant. The University contended that the matter in issue was exempt matter under s.41(1) of the FOI Act.  Assistant Commissioner Shoyer decided that, although the matter in issue was part of a deliberative process of the University (determining how to deal with the applicant's complaints), he was not satisfied that its disclosure to the applicant would, on balance, be contrary to the public interest.