Nunn and Department of Public Works

Application number:
2005 F0091
Decision date:
Thursday, Dec 22, 2005

 

 

Nunn and Department of Public Works

(2005 F0091, 22 December 2005)

Sufficiency of search

The applicant had been an employee of the Department of Innovation and Information Economy, Sport and Recreation Queensland (DIIESRQ).  She took voluntary early retirement (VER).  After the applicant's retirement, the DIIESRQ was dissolved, with its documents being distributed among several departments, one of which was the respondent.  The applicant sought access to documents held by the respondent relating to the circumstances surrounding her VER.  She raised a 'sufficiency of search' issue regarding the existence of a certain category of documents.  The respondent conducted numerous searches and inquiries in an effort to locate the requested documents, without success. 

Applying the principles stated in Shepherd and Department of Housing, Local Government and Planning (1994) 1 QAR 464, AC Moss was satisfied that the searches and inquiries conducted by the Department in an effort to locate any additional responsive documents had been reasonable in all the circumstances of the case, and that there were no reasonable grounds for believing that any other responsive documents existed in the respondent's possession or under its control.