Communications between DFAT and WorldVision re Mohammad El Halabi
Gareth William Smith made this Freedom of Information request to Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
This request has been closed to new correspondence from the public body. Contact us if you think it ought be re-opened.
Dear Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade,
Please supply me with all communications between DFAT and World Vision in respect of Mohammad El Halabi.
Yours faithfully,
Gareth W R Smith
OFFICIAL
FOI Request: LEX4553
Dear Mr Smith
Thank you for your email dated 17 October 2021 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 requested access to:
“all communications between DFAT and World Vision in respect of Mohammad
El Halabi.”
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 17 October 2021 and the 30-day statutory
period for processing your request commenced from the day after that date.
The period of 30 days may be extended in certain circumstances. We will
advise you if any extension of time is required.
Charges:
Please note that the Department may issue charges for processing FOI
requests. 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]
Yours sincerely,
DFAT FOI Team
Freedom of Information and Privacy Law Section
Legal Division | Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
[4]DFAT.GOV.AU | [5]Twitter | [6]Facebook | [7]Flickr | [8]YouTube
OFFICIAL
FOI Request: LEX4553
Dear Mr Smith
Please find attached correspondence regarding your FOI request.
Yours sincerely,
DFAT FOI Team
Freedom of Information and Privacy Law Section
Legal Division | Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
[1]DFAT.GOV.AU | [2]Twitter | [3]Facebook | [4]Flickr | [5]YouTube
From: FOI
Sent: Tuesday, 19 October 2021 2:03 PM
To: [FOI #7971 email]
Subject: Your FOI Acknowledgement - LEX4553 [SEC=OFFICIAL]
OFFICIAL
FOI Request: LEX4553
Dear Mr Smith
Thank you for your email dated 17 October 2021 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 requested access to:
“all communications between DFAT and World Vision in respect of Mohammad
El Halabi.”
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 17 October 2021 and the 30-day statutory
period for processing your request commenced from the day after that date.
The period of 30 days may be extended in certain circumstances. We will
advise you if any extension of time is required.
Charges:
Please note that the Department may issue charges for processing FOI
requests. 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:
[6]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
[7][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 [8][DFAT request email]
Yours sincerely,
DFAT FOI Team
Freedom of Information and Privacy Law Section
Legal Division | Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
[9]DFAT.GOV.AU | [10]Twitter | [11]Facebook | [12]Flickr | [13]YouTube
Dear FOI,
The time for you to respond to my request has now passed and I have heard nothing from you other than a comment that the scope of my request is to large or vague and that you will be contacting me to "rescope" it. When will this happen?
Yours sincerely,
Gareth William Smith
OFFICIAL
FOI Request: LEX4553
Dear Mr Smith
As outlined in the correspondence of 12 November, searches by the
department identified a large volume of material, the processing of which
we assess would constitute a substantial and unreasonable diversion of the
department’s resources from its other operations. On this basis, the
department intends to refuse to grant access to the documents captured by
your request. However, you are welcome to revise the scope of your
request in line with section 24AB(2)(e) of the Act, in order so that it
might be processed.
Regards
DFAT FOI Team
Freedom of Information and Privacy Law Section
Legal Division | Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
[1]DFAT.GOV.AU | [2]Twitter | [3]Facebook | [4]Flickr | [5]YouTube
OFFICIAL
FOI Request: LEX4553
Dear Mr Smith
On 12 November 2021, you were notified that the department intended to
refuse your FOI request on the basis that processing it would require a
substantial and unreasonable diversion of resources. You were invited to
submit a revised request.
You did not contact the department to revise the scope of your request
within the 14 day consultation period. The consultation period has now
ended and your request has been deemed to be withdrawn, in accordance with
section 24AB(7) of the FOI Act.
Regards
DFAT FOI Team
Freedom of Information and Privacy Law Section
Legal Division | Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
[1]DFAT.GOV.AU | [2]Twitter | [3]Facebook | [4]Flickr | [5]YouTube
From: FOI
Sent: Friday, 26 November 2021 1:35 PM
To: Gareth William Smith <[FOI #7971 email]>
Subject: RE: [EXTERNAL] Your FOI request - s24AB consultation - LEX4553
[SEC=OFFICIAL]
OFFICIAL
FOI Request: LEX4553
Dear Mr Smith
As outlined in the correspondence of 12 November, searches by the
department identified a large volume of material, the processing of which
we assess would constitute a substantial and unreasonable diversion of the
department’s resources from its other operations. On this basis, the
department intends to refuse to grant access to the documents captured by
your request. However, you are welcome to revise the scope of your
request in line with section 24AB(2)(e) of the Act, in order so that it
might be processed.
Regards
DFAT FOI Team
Freedom of Information and Privacy Law Section
Legal Division | Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
[6]DFAT.GOV.AU | [7]Twitter | [8]Facebook | [9]Flickr | [10]YouTube