OFFICIAL

Dear Jedstar

 

Acknowledgement

I refer to your correspondence of 3 January 2026, 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 and allocated for Case Management.

 

The scope of your request is:

 

I request access to documents held by the Department of Defence relating
to the financial costs associated with Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025,
including but not limited to:

-          The total cost incurred by the Australian Government /
Australian Defence Force in planning, hosting, and participating in
Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025.

-          Any cost breakdowns available (e.g. personnel, logistics,
transport, fuel, munitions, contracting, facilities, and sustainment).

-          Documents recording cost contributions, reimbursements, or
cost-sharing arrangements between Australia and other participating
nations.

-          Any estimates, briefings, budget papers, internal summaries, or
post-exercise cost assessments relating to the above.

-          Any documents indicating reported or notified costs of
participation by allied or partner nations, where such information is held
by the Department.

-          If any documents are partially exempt, I request that
non-exempt material be released in accordance with the Act.

 

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.

 

Timeframe

The statutory timeframe to provide you with a decision on your request
ends on 2 February 2026. 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 Defence is subject to a reduced work period during
December and January. We seek your agreement to a 30-day extension of time
under section 15AA of the FOI Act. If you agree to the extension, the new
statutory timeframe to provide you with a decision will end on 4 March
2026. 

 

It would be much appreciated if you could confirm your agreement to this
extension of time via e-mail by close of business 9 January 2026.

 

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.

 

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.

 

Should you have any questions relating to your request, please contact:
[1][email address].

 

Kind regards

 

Freedom of Information Team

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

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1. mailto:[email address]
2. https://www.defence.gov.au/about/accessi...