Australia Day
Dear Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade,
I write to request access to documents under the Freedom of Information Act 1982.
I seek access to the following documents:
All emails, briefs, correspondence, submissions, decision records, record of calls, Skype messages, text, Signal or WhatsApp messages relating to the cancellation of the Australia Day Gala at Australia House in London.
I seek all documents created on or after 01 October 2023.
Further, I seek any text, Signal, Telegram or WhatsApp messages received by the High Commissioner from the Foreign Minister or her office on or after 05 December 2023.
Yours faithfully,
MBV
OFFICIAL
FOI Request: LEX 9739
Dear MBV,
Thank you for your email dated 12 December 2023 seeking access to
documents under the Freedom of Information Act 1982.
This email sets out some information about how your request will be
processed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Scope of request:
You have sought access to:
‘All emails, briefs, correspondence, submissions, decision records, record
of calls, Skype messages, text, Signal or WhatsApp messages relating to
the cancellation of the Australia Day Gala at Australia House in London.
I seek all documents created on or after 01 October 2023.
Further, I seek any text, Signal, Telegram or WhatsApp messages received
by the High Commissioner from the Foreign Minister or her office on or
after 05 December 2023.’
If it emerges that the scope of your request is unclear or is too large
for processing, the department will contact you to discuss re-scoping the
request.
Timeframe for receiving our decision:
We received your request on 12 December 2023 and the 30-day statutory
period for processing your request commenced from the day after that date.
You should therefore expect a decision by 11 January 2024. The period of
30 days may be extended in certain circumstances.
Due to the upcoming holiday and shutdown period over Christmas and New
Year, we are seeking your agreement to an extension of 30 days to process
your request (under section 15AA of the Freedom of Information Act 1982).
We will endeavour to finalise your matter as soon as possible.
We would be grateful if you could please confirm your agreement by return
email. Should you agree to this extension, we will inform the Office of
the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).
Charges:
Please note that the Department may issue charges for processing FOI
requests. If applicable, we will advise you of any relevant charges when
we are in a position to estimate the resources required to process your
request.
Disclosure log:
Please note that, with some exceptions (such as personal information),
documents released under the FOI Act may later be published on the
department’s disclosure log:
[1]https://www.dfat.gov.au/about-us/corpora....
Exclusion of officials’ names and contact details:
It is the Department’s policy to withhold the mobile numbers of all
government officials, and the names and contact details of government
officials not in the Senior Executive Service (SES) or equivalent. If you
require the mobile numbers of all government officials, or the names and
contact details of non-SES officials, please let us know at
[2][DFAT request email] so the decision-maker may consider; otherwise we will
take it that you agree to that information being excluded from the scope
of your request.
Personal Information:
If we need to consult with other people or organisations regarding your
FOI request, we may need to disclose your personal information (e.g. your
name). When we consult it may be apparent that you have made a request,
even if we do not disclose your identity. Please let us know if you have
any concerns in this regard. The Department’s privacy policy is available
at dfat.gov.au/privacy.html.
Should you require any further information, please do not hesitate to
contact us by return e-mail at [3][DFAT request email]
Kind regards
DFAT FOI Team
_______________________________
FOI Section
Public Interest Law Branch | Regulatory and Legal Policy Division
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
[4]dfat.gov.au | [5]Twitter | [6]Facebook | [7]Instagram | [8]LinkedIn
© Kim Hill, Among Women (2011)
[9]We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout
Australia, and their continuing connection to land, waters and community.
We pay our respects to all First Nations peoples, their cultures and to
their Elders, past, present and emerging.
OFFICIAL
FOI Request: LEX 9739
Dear MBV,
The relevant line areas within the department have advised that the annual
Australia Day Gala Dinners are hosted by the Australia Foundation (which
is a non-profit organisation) and not by the Australian High Commission.
Given this information, grateful if you could please clarify the scope of
your request.
We note also that part three of your request seeking ‘any text, Signal,
Telegram or WhatsApp messages received by the High Commissioner from the
Foreign Minister or her office on or after 05 December 2023’ is very
broad, however we assume this is in relation to the Australia Day Gala
Dinner. Can you please confirm if this is correct.
The department would be grateful if you could please advise whether you
agree to a 30 day extension. Due to the upcoming holiday and shutdown
period over Christmas and New Year, we are seeking your agreement to an
extension of 30 days to process your request (under section 15AA of the
Freedom of Information Act 1982). We will endeavour to finalise your
matter as soon as possible
Should you require any further information, please do not hesitate to
contact us by return e-mail at [1][DFAT request email]
Kind regards
DFAT FOI Team
_______________________________
FOI Section
Public Interest Law Branch | Regulatory and Legal Policy Division
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
[2]dfat.gov.au | [3]Twitter | [4]Facebook | [5]Instagram | [6]LinkedIn
© Kim Hill, Among Women (2011)
[7]We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout
Australia, and their continuing connection to land, waters and community.
We pay our respects to all First Nations peoples, their cultures and to
their Elders, past, present and emerging.
From: FOI
Sent: Wednesday, 13 December 2023 11:34 AM
To: MBV <[FOI #10962 email]>
Subject: Your FOI request - Acknowledgement & extension of time request
(LEX 9739) [SEC=OFFICIAL]
OFFICIAL
FOI Request: LEX 9739
Dear MBV,
Thank you for your email dated 12 December 2023 seeking access to
documents under the Freedom of Information Act 1982.
This email sets out some information about how your request will be
processed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Scope of request:
You have sought access to:
‘All emails, briefs, correspondence, submissions, decision records, record
of calls, Skype messages, text, Signal or WhatsApp messages relating to
the cancellation of the Australia Day Gala at Australia House in London.
I seek all documents created on or after 01 October 2023.
Further, I seek any text, Signal, Telegram or WhatsApp messages received
by the High Commissioner from the Foreign Minister or her office on or
after 05 December 2023.’
If it emerges that the scope of your request is unclear or is too large
for processing, the department will contact you to discuss re-scoping the
request.
Timeframe for receiving our decision:
We received your request on 12 December 2023 and the 30-day statutory
period for processing your request commenced from the day after that date.
You should therefore expect a decision by 11 January 2024. The period of
30 days may be extended in certain circumstances.
Due to the upcoming holiday and shutdown period over Christmas and New
Year, we are seeking your agreement to an extension of 30 days to process
your request (under section 15AA of the Freedom of Information Act 1982).
We will endeavour to finalise your matter as soon as possible.
We would be grateful if you could please confirm your agreement by return
email. Should you agree to this extension, we will inform the Office of
the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).
Charges:
Please note that the Department may issue charges for processing FOI
requests. If applicable, we will advise you of any relevant charges when
we are in a position to estimate the resources required to process your
request.
Disclosure log:
Please note that, with some exceptions (such as personal information),
documents released under the FOI Act may later be published on the
department’s disclosure log:
[8]https://www.dfat.gov.au/about-us/corpora....
Exclusion of officials’ names and contact details:
It is the Department’s policy to withhold the mobile numbers of all
government officials, and the names and contact details of government
officials not in the Senior Executive Service (SES) or equivalent. If you
require the mobile numbers of all government officials, or the names and
contact details of non-SES officials, please let us know at
[9][DFAT request email] so the decision-maker may consider; otherwise we will
take it that you agree to that information being excluded from the scope
of your request.
Personal Information:
If we need to consult with other people or organisations regarding your
FOI request, we may need to disclose your personal information (e.g. your
name). When we consult it may be apparent that you have made a request,
even if we do not disclose your identity. Please let us know if you have
any concerns in this regard. The Department’s privacy policy is available
at dfat.gov.au/privacy.html.
Should you require any further information, please do not hesitate to
contact us by return e-mail at [10][DFAT request email]
Kind regards
DFAT FOI Team
_______________________________
FOI Section
Public Interest Law Branch | Regulatory and Legal Policy Division
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
[11]dfat.gov.au | [12]Twitter | [13]Facebook | [14]Instagram |
[15]LinkedIn
© Kim Hill, Among Women (2011)
[16]We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout
Australia, and their continuing connection to land, waters and community.
We pay our respects to all First Nations peoples, their cultures and to
their Elders, past, present and emerging.
OFFICIAL
FOI Request: LEX 9739
Dear MBV
Please find attached a letter notifying you of the department’s decision
on your FOI request.
Kind regards
Jonathan | DFAT FOI Team
_______________________________
Freedom of Information Section
Public Interest Law Branch | Regulatory and Legal Policy Division
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
[1]dfat.gov.au | [2]Twitter | [3]Facebook | [4]Instagram | [5]LinkedIn
© Kim Hill, Among Women (2011)
[6]We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout
Australia, and their continuing connection to land, waters and community.
We pay our respects to all First Nations peoples, their cultures and to
their Elders, past, present and emerging.
References
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