FOI Reference: LEX3981
File No: 21/23770
11 August 2021
Mr Elias Ross
By email to: foi+request‐7533‐xxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx
Dear Mr Ross
Re. Freedom of Information Request
I refer to your current request for access under the
Freedom of Information Act 1982 (the FOI Act)
to:
“documents used to compile the 2013 Sri Lankan country report.
Please provide all email correspondences used to compile the 'treatment of returnees'
section of the 2013 Sri Lankan country report. Please limit the request to those email
correspondences between DFAT and the Sri Lankan Government, the International
Organisation for Migration and the two NGOs mentioned in section 3.80 of the report.”
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 a charge is payable 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
charge due is
$162.00.
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 charge.
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.
Should you agree to pay the charge, the
Freedom of Information (Fees & Charges) Regulations
requires that you pay a deposit of 25 per cent of the total charge before processing commences. I
have calculated the required deposit for your request to be
$40.50
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.
R G Casey Building John McEwen Cres Barton 0221
DFAT.GOV.AU
T +61 2 6261 1111
@DFAT
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 or withdrawal of request
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 in full of the charge, 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: LEX3981)
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: LEX3981 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