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Ref: FOI MO LEX-78180
Ash Roth
Via Right to Know:
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx
Dear Ash
Decision on your Freedom of Information request
I refer to your request, dated and received by the Office of the Minister for the Environment and
Water (
Minister’s Office) via the Right to Know website on 10 September 2024, for access
under the
Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth) (
FOI Act) to the following documents:
All written communication between the Minister / her staff and the
Environmental Defenders Office / people acting on their behalf.
Please limit to the period between 1 December 2023 and 31 May 2024.
My decision
The Ministers Office holds 10 documents with a number of attachments to those documents
(totalling 254 pages) that relate to your request.
I have decided to grant
full access to these documents with material not relevant to the request
removed pursuant to section 22 of the FOI Act.
On 29 September 2024, in response to the Ministers Office notification of third-party
consultation, you stated that personal details of individuals involved in any communications was
not in scope of your request and could be excluded/redacted.
As such personal identifying information of Ministerial or Departmental staff (below the SES
level) and external individuals has been removed under section 22 of the FOI Act as not in scope
of your request.
How we will send your documents to you
The documents are attached.
You can ask for a review of my decision
You may apply to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (
OAIC) to review my
decision. An application for review by the Information Commissioner must be made in writing
within
60 days after the day you are notified of this decision. You can also make a complaint to
the Information Commissioner if you have concerns about how your request has been handled.
Parliament House Canberra ACT 2600 Telephone (02) 6277 7920
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You can find information about requesting a review, making a complaint, and other information
about FOI on the OAIC websi
te www.oaic.gov.au or phone the OAIC on 1300 363 992.
Further assistance If you have any questions, please emai
l xxx@xxxxxx.xxx.xx. Yours sincerely
David McElrea
Deputy Chief of Staff
Office of the Hon Tanya Plibersek MP
Minister for the Environment and Water
6 November 2024
2
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Attachment A
LIST OF DOCUMENTS FOR RELEASE
LEX-78180
Doc
No.
Date
Description
Decision
Exemption
Comments
1
6 March 2024
Email -Re Nature Positive Reforms
Release in full
NA
Personal information and staff names
below the SES or equivalent redacted
under section 22 (irrelevant to your
request)
2
7 December 2023
Email with letter from EDO to Minister
Release in full
NA
Personal information and staff names
– Urgent Action funded by
below the SES or equivalent redacted
Commonwealth likely to have a
under section 22 (irrelevant to your
significant impact on the endangered
request)
koala – Appin Road Upgrade
3
21 December 2023
Email from EDO to Minister Plibersek – Release in full
NA
Personal information and staff names
Referral request under the EPBC Act –
below the SES or equivalent redacted
Commercial Groundwater Extraction at
under section 22 (irrelevant to your
Springbrook S6191
request)
3A
21 December 2023 - Attachment to document 3 – Letter
Release in full
NA
Personal information and staff names
from EDO to Minister Plibersek
below the SES or equivalent redacted
under section 22 (irrelevant to your
request)
3B
10 November 2023
Attachment to document 3 – Judgement Release in full
NA
Personal information and staff names
from the Planning and Environment
below the SES or equivalent redacted
Court Brisbane
under section 22 (irrelevant to your
request)
3C
3 November 2023
Attachment to document 3 – EPBC Act
Release in full
NA
Personal information and staff names
Protected Matters Report
below the SES or equivalent redacted
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Doc
No.
Date
Description
Decision
Exemption
Comments
under section 22 (irrelevant to your
request)
4
29 February 2024
Email from EDO to Minister Plibersek – Release in full
NA
Personal information and staff names
URGENT – Cth funded infrastructure
below the SES or equivalent redacted
likely to have a significant impact of the
under section 22 (irrelevant to your
Koala
request)
4A
29 February 2024
Attachment to document 4 – Letter
Release in full
NA
Personal information and staff names
from EDO to Minister Plibersek.
below the SES or equivalent redacted
under section 22 (irrelevant to your
request)
4B
20 December 2023
Attachment to document 4 – Letter and Release in full
NA
Personal information and staff names
report to EDO -Proposed Appin Road
below the SES or equivalent redacted
upgrade
under section 22 (irrelevant to your
request)
4C
21 December 2023
Attachment to document 4 – Letter
Release in full
NA
Personal information and staff names
from EDO to NSW Minister for Roads
below the SES or equivalent redacted
under section 22 (irrelevant to your
request)
4D
29 November 2023
Attachment to document 4 – Letter
Release in full
NA
Personal information and staff names
from EDO to Corrs Chamber Westgarth
below the SES or equivalent redacted
under section 22 (irrelevant to your
request)
5
8 March 2024
Email from EDO to Minister Plibersek -
Release in full
NA
Personal information and staff names
Request concerning compliance for
below the SES or equivalent redacted
EPBC 2023/09485
under section 22 (irrelevant to your
request)
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Doc
No.
Date
Description
Decision
Exemption
Comments
5A
8 March 2024
Attachment to document 5 – Letter
Release in full
NA
Personal information and staff names
from EDO to Minister Plibersek
below the SES or equivalent redacted
under section 22 (irrelevant to your
request)
5B
Undated
Attachment to document 5 – Field
Release in full
NA
Personal information and staff names
Inspection of Proposed Northern Silica
below the SES or equivalent redacted
Mining Project, Cape Flattery
under section 22 (irrelevant to your
request)
5C
Undated
Attachment to document 5 – Impact of
Release in full
NA
Personal information and staff names
Proposed Northern Silica Mining
below the SES or equivalent redacted
Project on the Conservation Values of
under section 22 (irrelevant to your
the Cape Flattery Area
request)
6
8 March 2024
Email from EDO to Minister Plibersek
Release in full
NA
Personal information and staff names
Office – Nature Positive Reforms –
below the SES or equivalent redacted
Feedback from EDO
under section 22 (irrelevant to your
request)
6A
8 March 2024
Attachment to document 6 – Briefing
Release in full
NA
Personal information and staff names
note – Key concerns with progress on
below the SES or equivalent redacted
nature positive reforms
under section 22 (irrelevant to your
request)
7
5 March 2024
Email from EDO to Minister Plibersek
Release in full
NA
Personal information and staff names
Office Nature Positive Reforms meeting
below the SES or equivalent redacted
request
under section 22 (irrelevant to your
request)
8
2 February 2024
Email from Ministers office to EDO –
Release in full
NA
Personal information and staff names
Correspondance
below the SES or equivalent redacted
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Doc
No.
Date
Description
Decision
Exemption
Comments
under section 22 (irrelevant to your
request)
8A
2 February 2024
Attachment to document 8 – Letter
Release in full
NA
Personal information and staff names
from Minister Plibersek to EDO
below the SES or equivalent redacted
under section 22 (irrelevant to your
request)
9
8 February 2024
Email from EDO to Minister Plibersek’s Release in full
NA
Personal information and staff names
Office – Re Correspondence
below the SES or equivalent redacted
under section 22 (irrelevant to your
request)
9A
7 February 2024
Attachment to document 9 – Letter
Release in full
NA
Personal information and staff names
from EDO to Minister Plibersek – Re
below the SES or equivalent redacted
Munkara v Santos NA Barossa Pty Ltd
under section 22 (irrelevant to your
request)
10
13 March 2024
Email from EDO to Minister Plibersek -
Release in full
NA
Personal information and staff names
EDO Review
below the SES or equivalent redacted
under section 22 (irrelevant to your
request)
10A
13 March 2024
Attachment to document 10 – Letter
Release in full
NA
Personal information and staff names
from Edo to Minister Plibersek – EDO
below the SES or equivalent redacted
process Review
under section 22 (irrelevant to your
request)
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