Final Afghanistan Inquiry Implementation Oversight Panel Report
Dear Department of Defence,
I request a copy of the "Final Report" referred to in section 10 of the 12th Quarterly Report of the Afghanistan Inquiry Implementation Oversight Panel, such should be dated on or about 8 November 2023.
See Document 1 of FOI 500/23/24, section 10.
Yours faithfully,
James Smith
OFFICIAL
Dear James,
Acknowledgement
I refer to your correspondence of 22 December 2023 seeking access to
documents held by the Department of Defence (Defence), under the Freedom
of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act). This email is to advise you that your
request has been received.
The scope of your request is:
…a copy of the "Final Report" referred to in section 10 of the 12th
Quarterly Report of the Afghanistan Inquiry Implementation Oversight
Panel, such should be dated on or about 8 November 2023.
Timeframe
The statutory timeframe to provide you with a decision on your request
ends on 21 January 2024. This period may be extended if we need to consult
with third parties, or for other reasons. We will advise you if this
happens.
Please note that where the due date falls on a Saturday, Sunday or public
holiday, the timeframe will expire on the next working day. This is in
accordance with the FOI Guidelines issued by the Office of the Australian
Information Commissioner under section 93A of the FOI Act.
Seeking extension of time by agreement
I would like to take this opportunity to advise that the Department of
Defence observes a period of reduced activity and staffing through
December and January (Christmas/New Year period) each year. Accordingly,
this office has determined that it may not be possible to finalise
your FOI request by 21 January 2024 as it falls within this reduced
activity period.
In view of the above, this office is seeking your agreement to a 30-day
extension of the statutory deadline under section 15AA [extension with
agreement] of the FOI Act. Should you agree, the statutory deadline for
you to receive a response to your request will be 20 February 2024. We
will still endeavor to complete your request as soon as possible.
It would be appreciated if you could confirm your agreement to this
extension of time by close of business 10 January 2024.
Disclaimer
Where staff details are captured in documents within the scope of your FOI
request, this information will be redacted; this includes private email
addresses, signatures, personnel (PMKeyS) numbers and mobile telephone
numbers, unless you specifically request such details. Defence excludes
duplicates of documents and any documents sent to or from you.
Furthermore, Defence only considers final versions of documents.
Charges
Defence may impose a charge for the work involved in providing access to
the documents in accordance with the Freedom of Information (Charges)
Regulations 2019. We will notify you if your request attracts a charge.
Please note that there is no charge for documents that contain the
personal information of the applicant.
Disclosure Log
Documents released under the FOI Act may be published on Defence’s
disclosure log, located on our website.
Contact Details
We will contact you via the email address you have provided. Please advise
if you would prefer us to use an alternative means of contact.
I am the Case Manager for this request. Should you have any questions
relating to your request, please do not hesitate to contact me via email:
[1][email address].
Kind regards,
Erin
Freedom of Information
Media and Information Disclosure Branch
Ministerial & Executive Coordination and Communication Division
Department of Defence
[2]Freedom of information requests | About | Defence
IMPORTANT: This email remains the property of the Department of Defence.
Unauthorised communication and dealing with the information in the email
may be a serious criminal offence. If you have received this email in
error, you are requested to contact the sender and delete the email
immediately.
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
2. https://www.defence.gov.au/about/accessi...
Dear FOI Case Management,
There is only one document requested, which is recent and should be at hand, and follows a sequence of other reports from the same panel that have been promptly released upon request. There should not be any serious burden imposed by the request, which should be able to be complied with within the statutory timeframes, even over this period. Defence has a large, well resourced and dedicated FOI team which should have planned for this period in order to comply with its statutory obligations.
In the circumstances, I do not consent to the extension.
Yours sincerely,
James Smith
Dear FOI Case Management,
This has been referred for review to the OAIC.
Yours sincerely,
James Smith
OFFICIAL
Dear James
Please find attached the Decision relating to Defence FOI 577/23/24.
Under section 54 of the FOI Act, you are entitled to request a review of
this decision. Your review rights are attached.
Please contact this office should you require any further information.
Regards
Erin
Freedom of Infomation
Media and Information Disclosure Branch
Ministerial & Executive Coordination and Communication Division
Department of Defence
[1]Freedom of information requests | About | Defence
IMPORTANT: This email remains the property of the Department of Defence.
Unauthorised communication and dealing with the information in the email
may be a serious criminal offence. If you have received this email in
error, you are requested to contact the sender and delete the email
immediately.
References
Visible links
1. https://www.defence.gov.au/about/accessi...