ONE NATIONAL CIRCUIT 
  
BARTON 
 
    FOI 
 
FOI/2021/311 
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 1982 
 
REQUEST BY: 
Mr Francis Unmeopa 
 
DECISION BY:  Peter Rush 
 
Assistant Secretary 
 
Parliamentary and Government Branch 
 
Mr Francis Unmeopa 
By email to: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx 
 
 
Dear Mr Unmeopa 
FOI request  
I refer to your email of 30 November 2021 in which you made a request (the FOI request) 
under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (the FOI Act) to the Department of the Prime 
Minister and Cabinet (the Department) in the following terms: 
My name is Francis Sonny Graham Unmeopa. I am from the Meriam Le of the Eastern Torres 
Strait Islands and I represent the interests of the men from the First Nations engaged by The 
Australian government to assist in the reconstruction effort in Iraq.    
Respectfully, I have two requests for documentation under the FOI act. 
Please refer to the 1 May 2008 Humanitarian Overseas Service Medal Regulations 
Delegation.  This instrument delegates 2 powers to the person holding the office of assistant 
secretary, awards and culture Branch (position number 1860).    
I note, that on 19 March 2012 the department (PM & C)  emailed AusAID (DFAT) stating   
‘further to your recent discussion with Peter, here’s draft text for your consideration that we 
propose to brief the new PSPM Senator Jan McLucas with soon’. Titled ‘Amendment of 
Humanitarian Overseas Service Medal (Iraq) declaration 2004 to extend to specified 
commercial contractors’ the document recommended the PSPM do two things - 1. Sign the 
letter to the Governor-General recommending she makes a declaration under HOSM 
Regulations 2011, extending eligibility for the ‘Iraq’ clasp to the medal, to specified 
commercial contractors (Attachment A), and 2. Sign the proposed Humanitarian Overseas 
Service Medal (Iraq) Declaration 2011 (Attachment B).  And on 11 April 2012 your 
department emailed AusAID (DFAT) providing a written agreement to ‘settle the declaration 
… and brief the PSPM next week’.  
I note, FOI disclosures many years later indicate that the department did not deliver the 
documents to the PSPM in accordance with the agreement.  The 2 powers delegated to the 
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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assistant secretary do not appear to extend to that person being entitled to make ministerial-
level decisions concerning Australian honours and symbols policy.  However, if the assistant 
secretary was granted such powers under delegation or under any other administrative 
instrument, please provide a copy of that document outlining such in accordance with the FOI 
Act. 
The department in response to FOI inquiries many years later admitted that they withheld the 
documents from PSPM McLucas as they were continuing consultations and 
deliberations.  Please provide a copy of the document in which the department informed 
AusAID that they were withholding the documents from PSPM McLucas in order to continue 
consultations and deliberations. 
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.  
Decision 
I have decided to refuse your request under section 24A(1) of the FOI Act, on the basis that 
the Department has taken all reasonable steps to locate the documents you have requested, 
and those documents do not exist. 
 
In making this decision, I have had regard to the following: 
  the terms of your request;  
  my own knowledge of the subject matter of your request  
  the outcome of searches; 
  the FOI Act; and 
  the Guidelines issued by the Australian Information Commissioner under section 93A of the 
FOI Act (the Guidelines).  
Reasons  
Subsection 24A(1) of the FOI Act provides that: 
 
An agency or Minister may refuse a request for access to a document if: 
(a)  all reasonable steps have been taken to find the document; 
and 
(b)  the agency or Minister is satisfied that the document: 
(i) 
is in the agency’s or Minister’s possession but cannot be found; or 
(ii) 
does not exist. 
 
The Guidelines state at 3.88: 
 
The Act is silent on what constitutes ‘all reasonable steps’. The meaning of ‘reasonable’ in the context 
of s 24A(1)(a) has been construed as not going beyond the limit assigned by reason, not extravagant 
or excessive, moderate and of such an amount, size or number as is judged to be appropriate or 
suitable to the circumstances or purpose. 
 
Based on my own knowledge of the subject matter, and searches undertaken relevant to the 
scope of the request, I am satisfied that all reasonable steps have been taken to find the 
documents relevant to the FOI request and that the documents requested do not exist. 
 
I have therefore decided to refuse the request under subsection 24A(1) of the FOI Act. 
 
 
 
 
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Processing and access charges 
 
I have decided not to impose processing charges in respect of the applicant’s request. 
 
Review rights 
 
Information about your rights of review under the FOI Act is available at 
https://www.oaic.gov.au/freedom-of-information/reviews-and-complaints/information-
commissioner-review/.  
 
Complaint rights  
 
You may make a complaint to the Information Commissioner about the Department’s actions 
in relation to this decision. Making a complaint about the way the Department has handled an 
FOI request is a separate process to seeking review of the Department’s decision. Further 
information about how to make a complaint is available at https://www.oaic.gov.au/freedom-
of-information/reviews-and-complaints/make-an-foi-complaint/.  
 
Yours sincerely 
 
 
 
Peter Rush 
Assistant Secretary 
Parliamentary and Government Branch 
 
 
15 December 2021 
 
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