Price and Department of Justice and Attorney-General

Application number:
1997 S0100
Decision date:
Tuesday, Dec 19, 2000

Price and Department of Justice and Attorney-General
 (1997 S0100, 19 December 2000) 

The Information Commissioner considered a number of 'sufficiency of search' issues raised by the applicant.  The Information Commissioner found that there were no reasonable grounds to believe that additional responsive documents existed in the possession or control of the respondent, and that the searches undertaken by the respondent had been reasonable in all the circumstances of the case. 

The Information Commissioner decided that Crown Law notional legal invoices and billing work sheets from 1996 were not exempt under s.45(1)(c) of the FOI Act, as disclosure at the time of my decision could not reasonably be expected to have an adverse effect on Crown Law's business affairs.  The Information Commissioner decided that the respondent was entitled to refuse access under s.22(a) of the FOI Act to District Court and Court of Appeal transcripts which were available for purchase from the State Reporting Bureau. 

The Information Commissioner also found that the respondent was entitled to refuse access under s.22(b) and s.22(c) of the FOI Act to Court Calendars that could be purchased from the Department and which were also published in the Government Gazette, copies of which are available in public libraries.  The Information Commissioner decided that the balance of the matter in issue was exempt under s.43(1) or s.44(1) of the FOI Act.