HOW IS THIS FAIR?

I want to write about some of my experiences at the Administrative Decisions Tribunal (ADT) on 3rd April 2008. 

As many of you know my family have been taking the Department of Education to the ADT so as to get access to documentation we requested under FOI.  We have had to seek the assistance of the ADT to get the Department to produce the documentation that under the FOI Act they are required to provide.  The DET have been mucking us around for years.

One matter was a request for documentary evidence of the process that led to the decision of the Department of Education to deem me vexatious.  On numerous submissions, emails and documents that were produced under FOI I am presented as having been deemed vexatious by the Minister.   However after requesting evidence of this fact, there was none to be produced.   I have it in writing from the Crown Solicitor's office that neither the DET nor the Minister have deemed me vexatious yet this is presented in submissions, documents and letters in relation to me.   The Department of Education says that it is just somebody's (the person we allege is responsible) opinion and it really doesn't mean vexatious.  Yet on the basis of that and of other lies my name was  put on a repetitive correspondence list so that letters from me are filed away to the point that even fresh new allegations that involved different children were ignored.

I sought to have the documents amended to reflect the truth and I was told that they were not allowed to change history.  I cant help but wonder why public servants are allowed to change history and present lies but we are not allowed to change history to reflect the truth.

We also requested evidence of the fact that the Department of Education says that our allegations of bias, victimisation and misconduct have been investigated and the persons whom we allege are abusing their power and exercising their duties with bias and misconduct have been cleared of any misconduct.  The DET have advised that they believe that it is an unreasonable diversion of resources to provide us with the documentation that shows that the matter has been formally investigated (as per policy and procedure require) and they have refused to present evidence of their alleged investigations.

It just seems amazing how they can spend so much money fighting this in the Tribunal and not call that an unreasonable diversion of resources.  Surely it would be a better usage of resources for them to stop fighting the matter and to produce the documents that they are required to produce.   We are entitled to documentation in relation to decisions that impact our children and our family especially when the failure of the DET to act has ensured that children have continued to be neglected, bullied and targeted year after year and we have been denied our rights.