The Sunday Times (Perth) 6 February 1994
By Rob Bennet

                    IT'S FREEDOM OF MIS-INFORMATION

Tear Sheet (photographic reproduction) of part of a UWA
Document: with side-title: 

   LEFT: an extract from the University of WA application
form.
           The University of Western Australia     
                Perth Western Australia            
           Application for Access to Documents      
      under the W.A. Freedom of Information Act 1992 
 								       
   Most information within the university can be obtained
   without needing to apply formally under the Act, and an
   informal request for access is likely to be quicker for
   both you and the University.  A formal application under
   FOI is needed only if you  encounter difficulties in
   obtaining access to the documents you need.             

    What's in a document?  Not what it seems in regards to
freedom of information at the University of WA.

    Academic David Rindos, who is fighting for his job and
reputation after being given the flick by UWA, sought
documents held by the Uni on his case.

    He has taken the matter to the WA Industrial
Commission.

    Until two weeks ago the University encouraged people to
make "informal requests" for freedom of information
documents 

    The university's application form stated that most
information in the University could be obtained without the
need of a formal application under the Act.

    An informal request for access was likely to be
quicker.

    A formal application was needed only if difficulties
were obtained getting documents. 

    Dr Rindos had no trouble getting a confidential memo,
which revealed that two senior UWA academics had expressed
concern about alleged favored treatment for students after
sex with a female campus academic.

    The story made headlines in this paper.  But the
situation has suddenly changed.

    This week Dr Rindos received a letter from the Uni
advising him that "the University will no longer provide
you with information on an ad hoc basis."

    In future, he would need to make a formal application
under the Freedom of Information Act and it would need to
clearly specify the documents requested.

    The reason given for the sudden change?  "Modification
of policy that will be less relaxed."