OFFICIAL: Sensitive
Personal-Privacy

[1]Department of Home Affairs banner

 

17 October 2025

 

John

 

Email: [FOI #13877 email]

 

In reply please quote:

Client Name:    John

FOI Request:   FA 25/10/01313

File Number:    FA25/10/01313

 

                                                                                                                               

Dear John

Acknowledgement of Freedom of Information access request

If you are nominated to receive correspondence about this Freedom of
Information (FOI) request, copies will not be sent to the applicant. In
this letter references to ‘you’ and ‘your’ relate to the applicant.

 

This letter refers to an access request received by the Department of Home
Affairs (the Department) under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (the
FOI Act) on 17 October 2025 seeking access to:

 

I hereby request access under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth) to
the following documents held by the Department of Home Affairs relating to
the refusal of a Temporary Activity (Class GG) visa for Candace Owens
Farmer which was submitted on 12 September 2024:

1. All ICSE notes relating to this application; 2. All decision records,
refusal letters, or other correspondence sent to the applicant or their
representative in connection with the refusal; 3. Any other documents held
by the Department that relate to, record, or evidence the decision-making
process for this refusal, including internal briefings, file notes,
comments, and recommendations to the Minister.

 

To assist the Department in more efficiently processing this request, I
agree to the exclusion of:

a) Duplicate copies of documents;

b) Duplicate email chains (where the content is already captured in the
latest chain);

c) Draft versions of a document where a final version exists;

d) Publicly available documents;

e) Personal information (including names and contact details) of APS
employees below SES level, by way of redaction (job titles to remain);

f) Telephone numbers of SES officers.

 

I also consent to:

g) Administrative release of the requested material, if this would assist
in timely processing;

h) Referral of this request (in whole or in part) to another Commonwealth
agency if that would facilitate its handling.

 

For clarity, my request encompasses internal decision-making documents as
well as documents provided to the applicant, and should include any
material considered by, or prepared for the Minister and their delegates
in making the decision.

 

I note that Candace Owens Farmer is a public figure, and this request
relates to a visa decision involving a matter of significant public
interest. In light of the public interest, I specifically request that any
personal information which is already publicly known or reasonably
connected to her public activities not be withheld under personal privacy
exemptions. I understand that FOI Guidelines recognise that privacy
exemptions may carry less weight for individuals who are public figures
where the information sought relates to their public role or official
capacities, and where disclosure serves the public interest.

 

Your request has been allocated FOI request number FA 25/10/01313. Please
include your FOI request number in all correspondence with the Freedom of
Information (FOI) Section.

We do not provide duplicated documents

If the FOI decision-maker deems a document to be a duplicate, they will
not assess those pages as part of your FOI request. This means that if
there is a decision to release the document to you, you will receive only
one copy, even if multiple copies of that document exist.

We do not provide personal details of staff

The Department’s practice is to exclude the personal details of staff not
in the Senior Executive Service (SES), as well as the direct contact
details of SES staff contained in documents that fall within scope of an
FOI request. If you require personal details of non-SES officers or direct
contact details of SES staff, please inform us so the decision maker may
consider your request. Otherwise we will take it that you agree to that
information being excluded from the scope of your request. However, names
of staff that have previously been released in departmental correspondence
may be disclosed.

Further documentation

Identification

The Department is committed to maintaining your records to ensure that
they are not released to a person who is not entitled to receive them. To
help us do this, please provide a copy of your personal photographic
identification. This identification could include any of the following:
passport; ImmiCard or current drivers licence.

 

If you have already provided the identification documents along with your
FOI request, no further action is required by you.

 

If you anticipate any problems providing a copy of your personal
identification, please contact this office using the details provided in
the acknowledgement letter.

Third party consent

Section 47F(1) of the FOI Act provides that documents are exempt from
release where this would involve unreasonable disclosure of personal
information. If you have sought access to documents containing information
about third parties (including family members), please provide their
photographic identification (e.g. passport; ImmiCard, current drivers
licence) and consent for release of their documents to you.

 

If your request does not include information about third parties or if you
have already provided their identification documents and consent for
release along with your FOI request, no further action is required by you.

 

If you anticipate any problems or cannot obtain their photographic
identification or consent for release, you should write to this office
setting out reasons why you believe the release would not be unreasonable
or contrary to the public interest. In cases where consent cannot be
obtained, the Department may be required to consult the individual(s)
concerned under section 27A of the FOI Act prior to making an access
decision.

Authority to act

The Department is committed to maintaining records to ensure that they are
not released to a person who is not entitled to receive them. To help us
do this, please provide your signed authority for your proposed
representative or migration agent, allowing them to act on your behalf to
access the requested documents.

 

If you do not have a proposed representative or migration agent you wish
to act on your behalf for your request or you have already provided this
authority, no further action is required by you.

Timeframe to provide additional documents

Please forward these documents within 14 days of the date of this letter
to the following address:

 

Scan and email to: [2][email address]

 

Or by mail:

Freedom of Information

Department of Home Affairs

GPO Box 241

MELBOURNE VIC 3001

 

If the documents have not been received within 14 days, a decision will be
made on your request on the basis of the information held.

Timeframe for request

The statutory timeframe provided under the FOI Act for processing requests
is a standard 30 calendar days. FOI requests will generally be processed
in the order that they are received.

 

Information regarding your review rights in relation to your request,
including processing timeframes are available at the [3]Office of the
Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) website: [4]www.OAIC.gov.au

Contacting the Department

You can contact us with an enquiry by email, through our website, or by
telephone through our Global Service Centre. In Australia you can call 13
18 81 Monday to Friday 9 am to 5 pm. Our offices in or outside Australia
do not provide a walk in counter service. If we need to see you, we will
contact you to make an appointment or other arrangements. Details on
submitting the online form or contacting us, in or outside Australia, are
available on the [5]Department of Home Affairs website.

 

 

Yours sincerely

 

MA

Position Number 60177408

FOI Officer | Freedom of Information Section

FOI & Records Management Branch Legal Group

Department of Home Affairs

E: [6][email address]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Personal-Privacy
OFFICIAL: Sensitive

 

 

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References

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