FOI Reference: LEX2841
File No: 20/30150
26 November 2020
Mr Ben Fairless
Right to Know
By email
: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx
Dear Mr Fairless
Re: Freedom of Information Request
I refer to your current request for access under the
Freedom of Information Act 1982 (the FOI Act)
to the following documents in relation to an incident at Hamad International Airport in Doha:
"1. A copy of the original email sent from the employee in question.
2. The email chain showing to whom within the department the email was forwarded to (for
example, if the email has been forwarded or replied to)
For obvious reasons, I am happy to exclude as irrelevant any information about the employee
who made the concern (including their name, contact information or position). I also consent
to the redaction of the names of other employees and their contact details, however not
their position descriptions.”
Preliminary searches for documents relevant to your request have been completed.
I am an officer authorised under section 23 of the FOI Act to make decisions on the charge for
processing your request. I have decided that you are liable to pay a charge. Based on the number
of relevant pages, processing time and time taken by the decision maker (once appointed) to assess
your request (noting that the first five hours are free of charge), our preliminary assessment of the
amount of that charge is
$54.17.
Please note that at this stage in the FOI process, no decision has been made as to whether the
information you seek will be released or exempt under the FOI Act. My decision at this stage relates
only to the processing charges.
Under section 29 of the FOI Act, you now have 30 days within which to:
• agree to pay the charge;
• contend that the charge has been wrongly assessed, or should be reduced or not imposed;
or
• withdraw your request.
R G Casey Building John McEwen Cres Barton 0221
DFAT.GOV.AU
T +61 2 6261 1111
@DFAT
Should you agree to pay the charge, the
Freedom of Information (Fees & Charges) Regulations
requires that you pay a deposit of
$20.00 before processing commences.
If you choose to pay only the deposit amount at this stage, you will be required to pay the remainder
of the charge prior to the release of any documents.
Your payment method options are outlined in the attachment.
Contend the Charge
Should you contend that the charge has been wrongly assessed, or should be reduced or not
imposed, you may apply for the department to waive or reduce the charge. The department will
take into account whether:
• the payment of the fee or a part of the fee would cause you financial hardship; and
• the giving of access to documents relevant to your request is in the general public interest
or in the interest of a substantial section of the public.
A departmental decision-maker will take into account any considerations you put forward and will
make a decision on whether the charge should be imposed, and in what amount.
Processing period / Withdrawal
Section 31 of the FOI Act provides that the 30-day processing period to assess your request is put
on hold until we receive your payment of the deposit, payment of the charges in full, or we decide
not to impose a charge. Should you withdraw your request at this stage, no charge will be imposed.
If we do not receive your response to this letter within 30 days of its receipt, I will consider that you
no longer wish to continue with your request, and I will deem it withdrawn.
Narrow Scope of Request
Finally, you may elect to narrow the scope of your request, which may reduce the applicable charge.
Should you have any queries, or wish to discuss revising the terms of your request, please contact
me by email at
xxx@xxxx.xxx.xx. Yours sincerely
Tom Beamish
Director
Freedom of Information and Privacy Law Section
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Please cross out whichever is not applicable:
•
Payment of Charges: Deposit / In Full
•
Payment by: Credit Card / Direct Debit / Cheque or Money Order
For the sum of $_______________ as detailed in the FOI Estimate of Charges letter dated
__________________ (
FOI Ref: LEX2841)
Credit Card
Name
_________________________________
Address
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
I authorise the National Cashier of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to debit my
VISA
MASTER CARD
-
-
-
Expiry:
_____/_____
Name appearing on card: _________________________
Signature: _____________________________________
Direct Debit
Account Name:
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
BSB No.:
092-009
Account No.:
110329
Please include your surname and
FOI Ref: LEX2841 in the reference field.
Cheque/Money Order
Make payable to:
‘The National Cashier – DFAT’
Send to:
Director, FOI Section
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
R. G. Casey Building
John McEwen Crescent
Barton ACT 0221
