To be fair, I sent the University of western Australia and advance copy of that post I just made about Dr. David Rindos treatment at their university. Here is their reply.

Hugh Jarvis

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Hugh Jarvis...hjarvis@acsu.buffalo.edu

---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Fri, 21 Jul 1995 11:59:47 +0800
From: mary pryce {mpryce@admin3.acs.uwa.edu.au}
To: hjarvis@acsu.buffalo.edu
Subject: ADVANCE COPY OF PLANNED INTERNET POST

Dear Mr Jarvis
Your statement, which you intend posting through Internet, has been noted. It is based on selected extracts from the FOI Commissioner's Report and from the history of the Rindos case, which both misrepresent and distort the truth. In parts it comes close to defamation.
The University declines to comment on its contents. It has, however, referred the statement to its lawyers and is in correspondence with the Commissioner about some aspects of this matter.
A copy of the University's press statement is attached for your information. Yours sincerely

Alan Robson
Acting Vice-Chancellor

Mary Pryce
Secretary to the Vice-Chancellor
The University of Western Australia
NEDLANDS WA 6907
Tel: 61 9 380 2802
Fax: 61 9 380 1013

Cheers,
Hugh
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Hugh Jarvis...hjarvis@acsu.buffalo.edu

(fancy VC office's seal)

University of Western Australia
Office of Development
Nedlands, Perth
Western Australia 6009
Facsimile (09) 380 1020
Telephone (09) 380 2040

PRESS RELEASE

Wednesday : 12 July 1995

VICE-CHANCELLOR WELCOMES FOI RULING

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Western Australia, Professor Fay Gale t oday welcomed the decision by Information Commissioner, Ms Bronwyn Keighley-Gera rdy on the matter related to the release of university-held documents to a forme r UWA academiuc.

Over the past two years, UWA had released to Dr David Rindos more than 500 docum ents on at least 34 occasions. Many of these had been released prior to Dr Rind os taking the matter to the Commissioner.

In her ruling, the Commissioner said that UWA had taken all reasonable steps to find the documents that Dr Rindos had claimed should exist. There was no sugge stion that UWA had not followed proper procedures.

However, there were some 14 documents to which Dr Rindos had been denied access by the university on the grounds that it believed the documents were exempt (fro m having to be released) under the Freedom of Information Act.

- 2 -

PRESS RELEASE

Wednesday : 12 July 1995

VICE-CHANCELLOR WELCOMES FOI RULING

continued

The Commissioner upheld the university's claim for eight of the documents, but r uled that as a general policy, reports by University managers concerning interna l staff should be accessible by those staff and that four documents, and parts o f two others, b e made available to Dr Rindos. This ruling on the accessibility of confidenti al reports does not apply to opinions sought from outside the university.

The documents that the Commissioner felt should be released were mainly staff re ports provided by university managers in confidence. In its earlier refusal to release the documents the university had wished to protect the confidentiality under which the y were written.

Professor Gale said that the problems surrounding this sort of staff report had been overcome following a recent major review of university staffing policies. Now, when reports were written by senior staff about people seeking promotion or tenure at UW A, the report was sighted and signed by the person about whom the report was wri tten.

" This means that the same questions of confidentiality should not be an issue i n any similar, future Freedom of Information matter - at least for staff reports made since we changed the practice, " Professor Gale said.

" The Freedom of Information Act is relatively new and this university is one of the first organizations to be involved in procedures under the Act," she said.

- 3 -

PRESS RELEASE

Wednesday : 12 July 1995

VICE-CHANCELLOR WELCOMES FOI RULING

continued

" It has been a long, labour-intensive process, but we have learned as we have g one along.

" We have done everything we thought we should have done and worked closely with the Commissioner's staff along the way. "

ENDS

For further information:

Lesleigh Green
Director of Development
University of Western Australia
Telephone No.: 380-2040
Facsimile No.: 380-1020

LG/mpr
1-3
12/7/95
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