OFFICIAL
Freedom of Information (FOI) request
Notice of Decision
Reference: 2025/287
Mr Alan Cole
Email:
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx
Dear Mr Cole
I refer to your requests to the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (the Department), made
under the
Freedom of Information Act 1982 (the FOI Act), and received on 20 October 2025.
The purpose of this letter is to provide you with a decision on your request for access under the
FOI Act.
Scope of request
You set out your requests in the following terms:
I would like to make the following FOI requests
1. List of the entire delegation accompanying Singapore Prime Minister Wong including support
staff on his trip to Australia in October 2025. Only peoples job titles if you plan to exclude
names.
2. List of the entire delegation accompanying the President of the Czech Republic including
support staff on his trip to Australia in December 2024. Only peoples job titles if you plan to
exclude names.
3. the list of the entire delegation accompanying prime minister Albanese to New York in
September 2025
4. the list of the entire delegation accompanying prime minister Albanese to the United Kingdom
in September 2025 and which staff were in London, Liverpool and Scotland
Postal Address: PO Box 6500, CANBERRA ACT 2600
Telephone: +61 2 6271 5849 Fax: +61 2 6271 5776 www.pmc.gov.au ABN: 18 108 001 191
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Authorised decision-maker
I am authorised to make this decision in accordance with arrangements approved by the
Department’s Secretary under section 23 of the FOI Act.
Material taken into account
In reaching my decision I referred to the following:
• the terms of your request
• searches and inquiries in the Department
• the FOI Act; and
• the Guidelines issued by the Information Commissioner (IC) under section 93A of the FOI Act
(the Guidelines).
Documents in scope of request
The Department has identified 3 documents that fall within the scope of your request.
These documents are set out in the Schedule of Documents at Attachment A.
Decision
I have decided to:
• refuse access in full to two documents responsive to items 1 and 2 of your request, on the
basis that these documents contain material exempt under subsection 33(b) of the FOI Act
(Document 1 and Document 2, respectively); and
• grant access in part to one document created under section 17 of the FOI Act in response to
parts 3 and 4 of your request (Document 3), on the basis that this document contains
information exempt under subsection 37(2)(c) of the FOI Act.
Document 3 is enclosed with my decision, with exempt material deleted.
The reasons for my decision are set out below.
Reasons for decision
My findings of fact and reasons are set out below.
1.
Requests involving use of computers etc.
Section 17 of the FOI Act provides:
(1) Where:
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a. a request (including a request in relation to which a practical refusal reason exists) is made in
accordance with the requirements of subsection 15(2) to an agency;
b. it appears from the request that the desire of the applicant is for information that is not
available in discrete form in written documents of the agency; and
(ba) it does not appear from the request that the applicant wishes to be provided with a
computer tape or computer disk on which the information is recorded; and
c. the agency could produce a written document containing the information in discrete form by:
i. the use of a computer or other equipment that is ordinarily available to the agency for
retrieving or collating stored information; or
ii. the making of a transcript from a sound recording held in the agency;
the agency shall deal with the request as if it were a request for access to a written document so
produced and containing that information and, for that purpose, this Act applies as if the agency
had such a document in its possession.
The information you seek in parts 3 and 4 of your request is contained within a database used by the
Department and can be produced into a document.
I am satisfied that the Department has created Document 3 in accordance with section 17 of the FOI
Act. I have decided to release this document to you in full.
2.
Section 33(b) – Information or matter communicated in confidence
Section 33(b) of the FOI Act provides that:
A document is an exempt document if disclosure of the document under this Act would divulge
any information or matter communicated in confidence by or on behalf of a foreign
government, an authority of a foreign government or an international organization to the
Government of the Commonwealth, to an authority of the Commonwealth or to a person
receiving the communication on behalf of the Commonwealth or of an authority of the
Commonwealth.
The Guidelines at paragraph 5.46 provides that the test is whether the information is communicated
in confidence between the communicator and the agency to which the communication is made, and
not a matter of determining whether the information is in of itself confidential in nature.
Documents 1 and 2 contain material provided during confidential communications between the
Australian government and foreign governments.
This communication has not been publicly released and with my knowledge of the circumstances
surrounding the engagement and how that information was received, I am satisfied it was provided in
confidence it was received, I am satisfied it was provided in confidence at the time it was received.
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I am satisfied Documents 1 and 2 contain material exempt under subsection 33(b) of the FOI Act.
3.
Section 37(2)(c) – Documents affecting enforcement of law and protection of public
safety
Section 37(2)(c) provides that a document is exempt if its disclosure under the Act would, or could
reasonably be expected to, prejudice the maintenance or enforcement of lawful methods for the
protection of public safety.
The FOI Commissioner’s Guidelines note at paragraph 5.81 that “Section 37 concerns the investigative
or compliance activities of an agency and the enforcement or administration of the law, including the
protection of public safety… The exemption applies, therefore, where an agency has a function
connected with investigating breaches of the law, its enforcement or administration.”
This exemption has been applied to the parts of Document 3 which contain information relating to
law enforcement methodology, including the protective security measures undertaken by law
enforcement agencies to protect travelling Members of Parliament.
Release of this information risks prejudice to law enforcement activities by enabling actors to
compromise protection measures and strategies implemented by law enforcement agencies.
I am satisfied that the documents to which this subsection applies are exempt from release.
Review rights
If you disagree with my decision, you may apply for internal review or IC review of the decision.
Internal review
Under section 54 of the FOI Act, you may apply in writing to the Department for an internal review of
my decision. The internal review application must be made within 30 days after the date of this letter.
Where possible please attach reasons why you believe review of the decision is necessary.
Applications for review should be sent to
xxx@xxx.xxx.xx.
Information Commissioner review
Under section 54L of the FOI Act, you may apply to the Australian Information Commissioner to
review my decision. An application for review by the Information Commissioner must be made in
writing within 60 days after the date of this letter. You can apply using the
OAIC Web Form.1
1 https://webform.oaic.gov.au/prod?entitytype=ICReview&layoutcode=ICReviewWF
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FOI Complaints
If you are unhappy with the way we have handled your FOI request, please let us know what we could
have done better. We may be able to rectify the problem. If you are not satisfied with our response,
you can make a complaint to the Australian Information Commissioner. A complaint to the
Information Commissioner must be made in writing. You can make a complaint using the
OAIC Web Form.2
Yours sincerely
Laura Thompson
Acting Assistant Secretary
Protocol and International Visits Branch
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
5 January 2026
2 https://webform.oaic.gov.au/prod?entitytype=Complaint&layoutcode=FOIComplaintWF
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