12 November 2025
Oliver Smith
BY EMAIL: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx
In reply please quote:
FOI Request:
FA 25/09/01539
File Number:
FA25/09/01539
Dear Oliver Smith
I refer to your email dated 21 September 2025, in which you requested access to documents
held by the Department of Home Affairs (the Department) under the
Freedom of Information Act
1982 (the FOI Act).
You have requested access to the following:
I request access to any documents created between 1 January 2025 and the present
that relate to the change in departmental practice whereby decision records no longer
include the delegate’s first name.
Specifically, I seek documents such as:
- Internal instructions, policy documents, guidelines, or templates directing staff to omit
the delegate’s first name from departmental correspondence;
- Emails, memoranda, or meeting minutes discussing or approving this change;
- Any other related records concerning the rationale or implementation of this change.
Intention to refuse request
I am writing to advise you that I intend to refuse your request on the basis that a practical refusal
reason exists. However, before I make a final decision to do this, you have an opportunity to
revise your request to remove the practical refusal reason. This is called a ‘
request consultation
process’. You have 14 days to respond to this notice in one of the ways set out below.
Power to refuse request
Section 24 of the FOI Act provides that if the Department is satisfied that a practical refusal
reason exists in relation to a request, the Department must undertake a consultation process
with you, and if, after that consultation process, the Department remains satisfied that the
practical refusal reason still exists, the Department may refuse to give you access to the
documents subject to the request.
PO Box 25 Belconnen ACT 2616 OF
• foi F
@ ICI
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airs.gov.au • www.homeaffairs.gov.au
OFFICIAL
Practical refusal
A
practical refusal reason exists under section 24AA of the FOI Act if either (or both) of the
following applies:
(1)(a)(i) the work involved in the processing of the request would substantially and
unreasonably divert the resources of the Department from its other operations
(1)(b) the request does not satisfy the requirement in section 15(2)(b) of the FOI Act,
which requires you to provide such information concerning the document you are
seeking access to, to enable the Department to be able to identify it.
I consider that the work involved in the processing of the request would substantially and
unreasonably divert the resources of the Department from its other operations, and accordingly
that practical refusal reasons exist under section 24AA(1)(a)(i) of the FOI Act.
Reasons for practical refusal
The Department has made a preliminary assessment of the documents that would be captured
by your request.
The relevant business areas within the Department which conducted the preliminary
assessment have identified approximately 248 documents relevant to your request, which
would take more than 99 hours to scope and retrieve all the required documents. As you have
requested “
documents” in relation to the subject matter, this has produced a large amount of
documents in scope and does not provide the Department with specific information concerning
the actual documents you are seeking access to, to enable the Department to identify them.
I am satisfied that the Department would be required to divert significant resources from its
current operations in order to identify, locate and collate the documents held within the
Department, and to make a decision on access to those documents. This diversion would result
in a significant drain on the resources of the area within the Department that would be required
to process this request.
I consider that this would result in this request imposing both a substantial and an unreasonable
diversion of resources of the Department from its other operations and that a practical refusal
reason exists in relation to this request.
Under section 24AB(6) of the FOI Act, you have 14 days to do one of the following:
• withdraw your request;
• make a revised request;
• indicate that you do not wish to revise your request.
If you do not do one of the three things listed above during the consultation period (14 days), or
you do not consult the contact person listed below during this period, your request will be taken
to have been withdrawn in accordance with section 24AB(7) of the FOI Act.
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OFFICIAL
OFFICIAL
Contact
Should you wish to revise your request or have any questions in relation to this process, please
do not hesitate to contact FOI at xxx@xxxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx.
Yours sincerely
[Electronically signed]
Slavica
Position Number: 60202839
Authorised Decision Maker
Department of Home Affairs
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OFFICIAL
