OFFICIAL

Good morning Mr Unmeopa,

Please note, we have recently updated our Freedom of Information webform
which is our preferred method for FOI request submissions. It would be
greatly appreciated when submitting requests in the future if you could
please lodge them through the FOI [1]webform.

I refer to your request dated 30 September 2025, seeking access to
documents under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (the Act) as follows:

“Details:

Start date: 1 January 2008

End date: Present date - 30 September 2025

Request:

Under the Freedom of Information Act 1982, I request access to:

All documents, correspondence, emails, file notes, memoranda, and records
held by AFP that relate to any contact, communication, or request for
information from the Honours and Awards Secretariat and/or the Department
of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (or any officer acting on behalf of
either) concerning

The attack on the Serena Hotel, Kabul, Afghanistan on 14 January 2008;
and/or The actions of Australian civilians and/or Australian embassy staff
present at the Serena Hotel during the attack on 14 January 2008; and/or
Any inquiry, investigation, or information gathering related to the
conduct or actions of individuals at the Serena Hotel on 14 January 2008.

Time period: 1 January 2008 to present date.

This includes but is not limited to: requests for witness statements,
incident reports, security assessments, personnel records, commendations,
citations, or any other documentation related to the above incident.” 

Timeframe – Seeking your agreement to an extension of time

Upon consideration of your request, the AFP is of the view that your
request will take longer than 30 days to process.  The delay is
regrettable, however, due to an excessive number of requests that have
come through our office it will not be possible to advise you of a
decision by 30 October 2025.

Accordingly, pursuant to section 15AA of the Act, I seek your agreement to
extend the period by 30 days to notify you of a decision by 1 December
2025.

I would be grateful if you would advise this office in writing of your
agreement to the proposed extension of time by close of business Tuesday 8
October 2025.

Consents – Please provide your response: YES/NO

Please advise this office whether you consent to exclude the following
information:

o All identifying information of AFP members and Commonwealth employees
below SES level (names, ID numbers, signatures, images) (AFP members
and Commonwealth employees);
o AFP and Commonwealth agency contact details other than the official
public channels (direct telephone numbers and email addresses);
o Job titles of AFP members and Commonwealth employees below SES;
o Draft documents;
o Personal information of any individual other than you from the
documents you are seeking;

o Information provided by third parties to the AFP from the documents
you are seeking;
o All information about any third parties from the documents you are
seeking;
o Duplicate documents; and
o Documents you have already provided to us, or that we have already
sent to you.

Please advise this office of the following: YES/NO

o Do the documents you seek relate to current court proceedings? and

Disclosure of your identity: YES/NO

The AFP may be required to consult with third parties in accordance with
sections 26A, 27 and 27A of the Act. Please advise us if you consent to
being identified as a third party where consultation with a third party is
necessary. If we do not receive your consent, we will not disclose your
identity to third parties.

Information Publication Scheme

Please be advised that effective 1 May 2011 and in accordance with section
8(2) of the Act, an agency is required to publish information on the AFP
website following the notification of a decision in respect of a freedom
of information request. Details of the decision will be published in a
Disclosure Log which can be found at
[2]https://www.afp.gov.au/about-us/informat....

The requirement to publish information released under FOI reinforces the
objectives of the FOI Act to promote a pro-disclosure culture across
government, and to increase recognition that information held by
government is a national resource. Exceptions to the requirement to
publish information would apply to personal information and information
concerning the business affairs of a person if it was considered
‘unreasonable’ to do so. 

If however, after noting the above, you wish to raise any concerns about
the publication of information concerning your request prior to the
notification of a decision, please advise the AFP in writing before 30
October 2025.

If you have any queries in relation to this matter, please do not hesitate
to contact our team at [3][AFP request email].

Yours sincerely,

FOI TEAM - SUPPORT OFFICER

AFP LEGAL | CHIEF COUNSEL PORTFOLIO

[4]Australian Federal Police
The Australian Federal Police acknowledges the Traditional Owners and
Custodians of Country
throughout Australia, and their continuing connection to land, sea and
community. We pay
our respects to First Nations people, culture and Elders past, present and
emerging.

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References

Visible links
1. https://www.afp.gov.au/about-us/governan...
2. https://www.afp.gov.au/about-us/informat...
3. mailto:[AFP request email]
4. http://www.afp.gov.au/