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Communicating with overseas authorities (excluding New Zealand) 277-08330000

This document explains how to respond to requests received from overseas authorities:

for information about a person
to provide information to a customer
seek information from a customer

Requests received from overseas authorities

Step	Action
1	Correspondence received - no customer record When correspondence is received that cannot be attributed to a customer record: it is recorded in Cuba by the Electronic Document Classification team as unattached correspondence, and the reference number is emailed to the International Central Authority team See Classifying child support images.
2	Request received outside the International Central Authority team If a request is received by a Service Officer outside the International Central Authority team: create an International Stakeholder Follow Up intray note the reason for the referral route the intray to: Region: INTERNATIONAL Office: INTERNATIONAL HOBART Stream/Team: NO S001 OVERSEAS TM Position: NONE For non-Overseas Authority team staff, procedure ends here.
3	Request received by the International Central Authority team Determine if the request is actually from an overseas authority. See: Reciprocating Jurisdiction - A guide for Services Australia - Child Support staff and, Central Authority Address Listing for Child Support International customers to determine if the address matches the request Is the request from an overseas authority? Yes, go to Step 5 No or unsure: To clarify the request is from an overseas authority, contact them If necessary send the SP9.00 - Overseas authorities contact the requester for further information Go to Step 4
4	The request is not from an overseas authority If the request is not from an overseas authority the agency cannot provide any information about a person to the requester. Contact the requester to advise that legislation does not permit the release of the requested information. If necessary, send them the SP11.00 - Overseas authorities unable to provide information letter. Procedure ends here.
5	Request is made under an international maintenance arrangement Determine if the request is made under an international maintenance arrangement. An international maintenance arrangement means: an international treaty Australia is party to, or a non-treaty arrangement between Australia and a reciprocating jurisdiction that relates to: maintenance obligations arising from family relationship parentage marriage Consider these factors to determine if the request is made under an international maintenance arrangement: The international arrangement the request is being made under. The overseas authority may have referred to it in their request. Australia must be party to the arrangement The international maintenance arrangement must include provisions for the sharing of information as requested by the overseas authority. The Resources page has a table to help determine this The request must relate to a maintenance liability. If the overseas authority has sent a copy of the maintenance obligation review it to make sure it is a maintenance liability If there is not enough information to determine that the request is in relation to a maintenance liability: contact the overseas authority to confirm there is a maintenance liability that can be registered under the child support legislation if necessary, send a SP9.00 - Overseas authorities contact the requester for further information The Resources page has a table combining international maintenance arrangements and section 121B - Giving information to overseas authorities. Is the request made under an international maintenance arrangement? Yes, go to Step 6 No: Advise the requestor that under legislation the agency is unable to provide the information requested. If necessary, send the SP11.00 - Overseas authorities unable to provide information Procedure ends here
6	Accessing information about a person The agency can access information to satisfy the request when: an overseas authority requests: information about a person, or the agency to pass information to a customer, or the request is made to seek information from a customer it relies on an international maintenance arrangement, and access is necessary to provide the information requested by the overseas authority It may be necessary to search records of: Department of Home Affairs Australian Taxation Office (ATO) Services Australia If the request is not made under an international maintenance arrangement, do not access Department of Home Affairs, ATO or other records of the person.
7	Sending an email (secure message) to the overseas authority Where Service Officers sending a secure message to a Central Authority or external email recipient they must: Use approved templates wherever possible Document in Cuba to reflect an email is to be issued Record in the Cuba document the appropriate security classification - ‘OFFICIAL: Sensitive’ and ‘Personal privacy’ Obtain correct authorisation (eg APS6 TL) before sending the email Approving Officer (eg APS6 TL) must send approved email via the csaoverseas email box: If communication is created in a team other than the International Central Authority Team, a Service Officer in the Central Authority Team who is an approved letter writer and has access to csaoverseas mailbox can send approved emails Note: authorised officers sending emails must move any email from their personal sent items email folder to the childsupportoverseas sent items email folder What is the overseas authority asking for? Information about a person, go to Step 8 That information be passed onto a customer, go to Step 11 That information be obtained from a customer, go to Step 11
8	Giving the information to the overseas authority When requests are made under an international maintenance arrangement, consider the following: The Registrar must give the information requested if it is necessary or convenient to do so for the purposes of the arrangement Is it necessary or convenient in this case? May be necessary - the information is required to enable the international maintenance arrangement to operate May not be convenient - where providing the information would be at considerable cost It will usually be convenient to provide the information if the request is: from an overseas authority and within the bounds of one of the international arrangements listed Is it necessary or convenient to provide the information? Yes, go to Step 10 No, go to Step 9
9	Not necessary or convenient Advise the overseas authority it is not necessary or convenient to provide the information. Respond to their request that under legislation the agency is unable to provide the information requested. If necessary, send the SP11.00 - Overseas authorities unable to provide information letter. Note: copies of correspondence (cc) must be sent to each of the 3 England UK departments responsible for International Maintenance matters if communicating with any of: the following: Reciprocal Enforcement of Maintenance Orders (REMO) England UK Maintenance Enforcement British Courts (MEBC) England UK Official Solicitor & Public Trustee (OSPT) England UK Go to Step 13.
10	Provide the information to the overseas authority If other forms of communication are unavailable chose which letter to send depending on the information they requested. Send either: SP8.00 - Overseas authorities confirm a person resides in Australia SP10.00 - Overseas authorities no application has been included with the request Note: copies of correspondence (cc) must be sent to each of the 3 England UK departments responsible for International Maintenance matters if communicating with any of: the following: Reciprocal Enforcement of Maintenance Orders (REMO) England UK Maintenance Enforcement British Courts (MEBC) England UK Official Solicitor & Public Trustee (OSPT) England UK Go to Step 13.
11	Contact the customer Provide the customer with the information from the overseas authority or ask them for the information the overseas authority is seeking. See Contact with Child Support customer.
12	Write to the overseas authority Send a letter to advise the overseas authority of the action taken and whether contact with the customer was successful. Provide the overseas authority with the information they sought from the customer including any documents, if the customer has provided this information to the agency. If the customer was asked to provide information and has not responded within a reasonable timeframe, inform the overseas authority that the customer did not respond to the request.
13	Document the action taken If the request is about: a Child Support customer, in the customer’s Communication window document: the letter sent and the action taken a person who is not a Child Support customer, record the letter sent in the Unattached Correspondence window See: Documenting Child Support information, and Classifying child support images