OFFICIAL: Sensitive
Personal privacy
FOI Request: LEX 13246

Dear Thu Phuong

Thank you for your email dated 13 January 2026 seeking access to documents under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act).

This email sets out some information about how your request will be processed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (the department).

Scope of request:

all documents, including emails, and its attachments, and its forwarding details sent to or from the email address Amanda.Kyd dfat.gov.au (add @ before dfat) ([email address]) during the period from 1 January 2025 to 1 March 2025 inclusive

If it emerges that the scope of your request is unclear or 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 13 January 2026, and the 30-day statutory period for processing your request commenced from the day after the date. A decision is currently due to you by 12 February 2026. The period of 30 days may be extended in certain circumstances.

Request for your assistance:
To assist the department's decision maker to be satisfied that you have the authority to access personal information regarding Amanda Kyd's documents, emails and their attachments, we would be grateful if you would provide:

* a copy of a letter of authority signed by Amanda Kyd authorising you to access their personal information; or
* other evidence that establishes that you have authority to access personal information of Amanda Kyd.

If we have not receive evidence establishing your authority to access Amanda Kyd's personal information by 17:00, 22 January 2026, the department's decision maker will proceed on the basis that you are seeking someone else's personal information.

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.  
 
Exclusion of officials’ names and contact details: 
It is the department’s policy to withhold the personal information of junior staff from ministerial offices and government officials not in the Senior Executive Service (SES) or equivalent, including their email addresses and contact numbers, together with all signatures, mobile phone numbers, departmental inboxes and technical transmission details including reference numbers. 
  
Duplicate documents and incomplete email chains: 
Your request will be processed on the basis that you did not intend to capture duplicate documents or duplicate emails within email chains. 

If you require the excluded information or documents, please let us know at [DFAT request email] so the decision-maker may consider; otherwise, we will take it that you agree to the information and documents 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. Further information on the way the department handles personal information is accessible via our privacy policy. 

https://www.dfat.gov.au/about-us/corpora...
 
Should you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us by reply email. 
 
Kind regards 

DFAT FOI Team
_____________________________________________________
FOI Officer | Freedom of Information Section
Public Interest Law Branch | Regulatory and Legal Policy Division

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

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-----Original Message-----
From: Thu Phuong <[FOI #14180 email]>
Sent: Tuesday, 13 January 2026 7:07 AM
To: FOI <[DFAT request email]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Freedom of Information request - Correspondence including attachments to and from Amanda Kyd - [email address]

CAUTION: This email originated from outside the organisation. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognise the sender.

Dear Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade,

I seek access under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth) to documents held by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. In particular, I request access to all documents, including emails, and its attachments, and its forwarding details sent to or from the email address Amanda.Kyd dfat.gov.au (add @ before dfat) ([email address]) during the period from 1 January 2025 to 1 March 2025 inclusive.

Yours faithfully,
T

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Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #14180 email]

Is [DFAT request email] the wrong address for Freedom of Information requests to Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade? If so, please contact us using this form:
https://www.righttoknow.org.au/change_re...

This request has been made by an individual using Right to Know. This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. More information on how Right to Know works can be found at:
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Please note that in some cases publication of requests and responses will be delayed.

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