Date: Tue, 25 Jan 2022 18:59:10 +1100
Subject: Freedom of Information request - Resolution of frozen UK State Pensions issue
From: Paul Swain <[FOI #8339 email]>
To: FOI requests at DFAT <[DFAT request email]>

Dear Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade,

Foreign Minister Marise Payne welcomed UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss to Australia on Thursday, e.g. see https://twitter.com/MarisePayne/status/1483987056837955586 thus giving the Australian Government another chance to resolve the frozen UK State Pension issue.  As we all know from much previous correspondence, most recently, in my case, Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Dan Tehan's 20 September 2021 letter to Senator Andrew Bragg, the Australian Government repeatedly assures us that it

"will continue to press the issue with our UK counterparts on behalf of UK pensioners in Australia"

so I feel confident that it will have made another attempt to resolve the issue on this occasion, even though DFAT appears to have neglected to report on this in https://www.foreignminister.gov.au/minister/marise-payne/media-release/aukmin-2022-joint-statement

1.  Could you please provide me with any documents that DFAT holds that shows that the Australian Government attempted to resolve the frozen UK State Pension issue with the UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and her staff during her recent visit.

2.  If the Australian Government DID NOT attempt to resolve the frozen UK State Pension issue with the UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and her staff during her recent visit, could you please provide me with any documents that DFAT holds that shows why the Australian Government did not attempt to resolve this issue on this occasion.

3.  If the Australian Government was once again ineffective in its attempt to resolve the frozen UK State Pension issue during this visit, could you please provide me with any documents that contain analyses that DFAT has done investigating the reason for the failure, and attempting to develop a more effective strategy for future attempts.

4.  If DFAT does not hold any documents that are covered by point 3, could you please provide me with any documents that DFAT holds that shows why it does not attempt to improve its performance in resolving the frozen UK State Pension issue by analysing its past performance.

I see that DFAT regularly asks for an extension of time to process a request, e.g. https://www.righttoknow.org.au/request/2020_communications_from_foreign#incoming-23890  If this applies to this request, could you please specify the date on which the extension expires so that there is no confusion over the due date for DFAT's response.

Yours faithfully,

Paul Swain

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