Global Feedback Unit Referrals to RBA (Bangkok)

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[1]Australian Government Department of Home Affairs logo

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Your email has been received by the Department of Home Affairs’ (the
Department) Freedom of Information (FOI) section.

If you have lodged a request for access to documents or amendment to
information, you will receive an acknowledgement letter within 14 days.

Please see our website for more information on submitting a valid request
for access to information. [2]Freedom of information
(homeaffairs.gov.au)

Legal priority: If your situation has changed to the extent that your FOI
request now have a legal priority such as Administrative Appeals Tribunal,
Court, Ministerial Intervention, Visa cancellation deadline since you
submitted your initial request, please provide a physical evidence to
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We’re responding to a large volume of requests

Due to the high volume of requests we receive, we will not be able to
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yours.

If processing your request is going to take us a lot of time because the
request is large or the request is unclear, it may be refused.

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If your email relates to other matters then please contact the relevant
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Important Notice: The content of this email is intended only for use by
the individual or entity to whom it is addressed. If you have received
this email by mistake, please advise the sender and delete the message and
attachments immediately. This email, including attachments, may contain
confidential, sensitive, legally privileged and/or copyright information.

Any review, retransmission, dissemination or other use of this information
by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited.
The Department of Home Affairs, the ABF and the National Emergency
Management Agency respect your privacy and have obligations under the
Privacy Act 1988.

Unsolicited commercial emails MUST NOT be sent to the originator of this
email.

References

OFFICIAL: Sensitive
Personal-Privacy

In reply please quote:

FOI Request: FA 25/09/01634

File Number: FA25/09/01634

Dear Sumalee

Acknowledgement of Freedom of Information Access request

This letter acknowledges that on 22 September 2025 the Department of Home
Affairs (the Department) received your request to access documents held by
the Department under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (the FOI Act).
This letter also provides important information about your request.

Scope of request

You have requested access to the following:

I seek copies of:

1. All feedback submissions received by the Department of Home Affairs’
Global Feedback Unit (GFU) that were referred to the Responsible Business
Area (RBA) for the Australian Embassy in Bangkok covering the period 1
July 2024 to the date of this request.

2. All relevant correspondence or communications between the GFU and the
RBA in relation to these feedback submissions, for the same period.

For clarity, this request is for:

• GFU complaints/feedback referred to the specific post (Bangkok), and

• Correspondence generated in response to, or relating to, those
referrals.

Your request has been allocated FOI request number FA 25/09/01634. Please
include your FOI request number in all correspondence with the Freedom of
Information Section.

Timeframe

The timeframe for processing a request is 30 days from the day we receive
your request, as set out in the FOI Act.

Your review rights in relation to your request are available on [1]Freedom
of information reviews | OAIC.

Fees and Charges

Charges do not apply to requests from individuals seeking access to
documents about themselves. However, a charge may apply to all other
requests for access to documents.

Charges are based on the amount of time the Department spends on your
request. Charges can range from $10 to over $1,000 depending on the
complexity and scope of your request. The Office of the Australian
Information Commissioner reported that across the public service, the
average charge notified was $335.50 in 2020-21.

If a charge applies, you will be issued with a Notice of Charge that
explains the charge and your options.

Detailed information about FOI charges that may apply to your FOI request
is available on [2]the Department’s website.

We do not provide personal details of staff or non-public facing
operational email addresses

The Department’s practice is to exclude the personal details of Government
employees, including contractors, 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 as irrelevant under section
22(1)(a)(ii) of the FOI Act. However, names of staff that have previously
been released in departmental correspondence may be disclosed.

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 a
there is a decision to release the document to you, you will receive only
one copy, even if multiple copies of that document exist.

Publication of document

Released documents you request may be published to our website.

Where documents are released to you in response to your request, the
Department may be required to publish these documents on its website
within 10 working days in accordance with section 11C of the FOI Act.
Publication will not be required where the documents contain personal or
business affairs information.

How to reduce or withdraw your request

Reducing the scope of your request can reduce the time and charges
associated with processing your FOI request.

To reduce or withdraw your request, contact the FOI section at
[3][Department of Home Affairs request email] and include your FOI request number.

Contacting the FOI Section

Should you wish to discuss your request you may contact the FOI Section at
[4][Department of Home Affairs request email].

Kind regards,

Andrea
Authorised FOI Officer, Freedom of Information
Position Number 60118553
Privacy, FOI and Records Management Branch
Legal Group
Department of Home Affairs
E: [5][Department of Home Affairs request email]

Personal-Privacy
OFFICIAL: Sensitive

Important Notice: The content of this email is intended only for use by
the individual or entity to whom it is addressed. If you have received
this email by mistake, please advise the sender and delete the message and
attachments immediately. This email, including attachments, may contain
confidential, sensitive, legally privileged and/or copyright information.

Any review, retransmission, dissemination or other use of this information
by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited.
The Department of Home Affairs, the ABF and the National Emergency
Management Agency respect your privacy and have obligations under the
Privacy Act 1988.

Unsolicited commercial emails MUST NOT be sent to the originator of this
email.

References

Visible links
1. https://www.oaic.gov.au/freedom-of-infor...
2. https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/access-an...
3. mailto:[Department of Home Affairs request email]
4. mailto:[Department of Home Affairs request email]
5. mailto:[Department of Home Affairs request email]

OFFICIAL: Sensitive
Personal-Privacy

Good morning, Sumalee

I refer to your request received on 22 September 2025 for access to
documents under the FOI Act.

The current due date for your request is 22 October 2025.

In order for the Department to complete the process of retrieving all the
documents that fall within the scope of your request and the subsequent
decision-making process in relation to those documents, the Department
will require additional time to process your request.

The Department seeks your agreement under section 15AA of the FOI Act to
extend the timeframe for the processing of your request by 30 days. This
would extend the due date for your request to Friday 21 November 2025.

It would assist the Department in managing its FOI caseload if you could
provide a response to this request by close of business, Friday 26
September 2025.

If you wish to discuss this matter further, please do not hesitate to
contact me on the details below.

Kind regards,

Andrea
Authorised FOI Officer, Freedom of Information
Position Number 60118553

Privacy, FOI and Records Management Branch

Legal Group

Department of Home Affairs

E: [1][Department of Home Affairs request email]

Personal-Privacy
OFFICIAL: Sensitive

Important Notice: The content of this email is intended only for use by
the individual or entity to whom it is addressed. If you have received
this email by mistake, please advise the sender and delete the message and
attachments immediately. This email, including attachments, may contain
confidential, sensitive, legally privileged and/or copyright information.

Any review, retransmission, dissemination or other use of this information
by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited.
The Department of Home Affairs, the ABF and the National Emergency
Management Agency respect your privacy and have obligations under the
Privacy Act 1988.

Unsolicited commercial emails MUST NOT be sent to the originator of this
email.

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[Department of Home Affairs request email]

OFFICIAL: Sensitive
Personal-Privacy

15 October 2025

BY EMAIL: [FOI #13696 email]

In reply please quote:

FOI Request: FA 25/09/01634

File Number: FA25/09/01634

Dear SUMALEE

I refer to your email dated 22 September 2025, in which you requested
access to documents held by the Department of Home Affairs (the
Department) under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (the FOI Act).

You have requested access to the following:

I seek copies of:

1. All feedback submissions received by the Department of Home Affairs’
Global Feedback Unit (GFU) that were referred to the Responsible Business
Area (RBA) for the Australian Embassy in Bangkok covering the period 1
July 2024 to the date of this request.

2. All relevant correspondence or communications between the GFU and the
RBA in relation to these feedback submissions, for the same period.

For clarity, this request is for:

• GFU complaints/feedback referred to the specific post (Bangkok), and

• Correspondence generated in response to, or relating to, those
referrals.

Intention to refuse request

I am writing to advise you that I intend to refuse your request on the
basis that a practical refusal reason exists. However, before I make a
final decision to do this, you have an opportunity to revise your request
to remove the practical refusal reason. This is called a ‘request
consultation process’. You have 14 days to respond to this notice in one
of the ways set out below.

Power to refuse request

Section 24 of the FOI Act provides that if the Department is satisfied
that a practical refusal reason exists in relation to a request, the
Department must undertake a consultation process with you, and if, after
that consultation process, the Department remains satisfied that the
practical refusal reason still exists, the Department may refuse to give
you access to the documents subject to the request.

Practical refusal

A practical refusal reason exists under section 24AA of the FOI Act if
either (or both) of the following applies:

(1)(a)(i) the work involved in the processing of the request would
substantially and unreasonably divert the resources of the Department from
its other operations.

(1)(b) the request does not satisfy the requirement in section 15(2)(b)
of the FOI Act, which requires you to provide such information concerning
the document you are seeking access to, to enable the Department to be
able to identify it.

I consider that the request does not satisfy the requirements of section
15(2)(b) of the FOI Act, and accordingly that practical refusal reasons
exist under section 24AA(1)(b) of the FOI Act.

Reasons for practical refusal

The Department has made a preliminary assessment of the documents that
would be captured by your request.

I am satisfied that the Department would be required to divert significant
resources from its current operations in order to identify, locate and
collate the documents held within the Department , and to make a decision
on access to those documents. This diversion would result in a significant
drain on the resources of the area within the Department that would be
required to process this request.

I consider that this would result in this request imposing both a
substantial and an unreasonable diversion of resources of the Department
from its other operations and that a practical refusal reason exists in
relation to this request.

You now have an opportunity to revise your request to enable it to
proceed.

Your current date range (1 July 2024 to the date of this request) is too
broad. Please provide a reduced date range for the Department to continue
processing with your request.

Under section 24AB(6) of the FOI Act, you have 14 days to do one of the
following:

o withdraw your request.
o make a revised request.
o indicate that you do not wish to revise your request.

Should you wish to revise your request or have any questions in relation
to this process, please do not hesitate to contact
[1][Department of Home Affairs request email].

Kind regards,

Andrea
Authorised FOI Officer, Freedom of Information
Position Number 60118553
Privacy, FOI and Records Management Branch
Legal Group
Department of Home Affairs
E: [2][Department of Home Affairs request email]

Personal-Privacy
OFFICIAL: Sensitive

Important Notice: The content of this email is intended only for use by
the individual or entity to whom it is addressed. If you have received
this email by mistake, please advise the sender and delete the message and
attachments immediately. This email, including attachments, may contain
confidential, sensitive, legally privileged and/or copyright information.

Any review, retransmission, dissemination or other use of this information
by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited.
The Department of Home Affairs, the ABF and the National Emergency
Management Agency respect your privacy and have obligations under the
Privacy Act 1988.

Unsolicited commercial emails MUST NOT be sent to the originator of this
email.

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[Department of Home Affairs request email]
mailto:[Department of Home Affairs request email]
2. mailto:[Department of Home Affairs request email]

fa 250901634 Practical Refusal Notice 29.10.2025.pdf

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OFFICIAL: Sensitive
Personal-Privacy

FOI Request: FA 25/09/01634

File Number: FA25/09/01634

Dear Sumalee

I refer to your email dated 22 September 2025, in which you requested
access to documents held by the Department of Home Affairs (the
Department) under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (the FOI Act).

You have requested access to the following:

1. All feedback submissions received by the Department of Home Affairs’
Global Feedback Unit (GFU) that were referred to the Responsible Business
Area (RBA) for the Australian Embassy in Bangkok covering the period 1
July 2025 to the date of this request.

2. All relevant correspondence or communications between the GFU and the
RBA in relation to these feedback submissions, for the same period.

For clarity, this request is for:

• GFU complaints/feedback referred to the specific post (Bangkok), and

• Correspondence generated in response to, or relating to, those
referrals.

I am writing to advise you that I intend to refuse your request on the
basis that a practical refusal reason exists. However, before I make a
final decision to do this, you have an opportunity to revise your request
to remove the practical refusal reason. This is called a ‘request
consultation process’. You have 14 days to respond to this notice, due 12
November 2025.

Kind regards

Mary

FOI Officer | Position No. 60186969

Freedom of Information | Non-Personal Team

Privacy, FOI & Records Management Branch | Legal Group

Department of Home Affairs

E: [1][Department of Home Affairs request email]

Personal-Privacy
OFFICIAL: Sensitive

Important Notice: The content of this email is intended only for use by
the individual or entity to whom it is addressed. If you have received
this email by mistake, please advise the sender and delete the message and
attachments immediately. This email, including attachments, may contain
confidential, sensitive, legally privileged and/or copyright information.

Any review, retransmission, dissemination or other use of this information
by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited.
The Department of Home Affairs, the ABF and the National Emergency
Management Agency respect your privacy and have obligations under the
Privacy Act 1988.

Unsolicited commercial emails MUST NOT be sent to the originator of this
email.

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[Department of Home Affairs request email]

OFFICIAL: Sensitive
Personal-Privacy

Dear Sumalee,

Freedom of Information Request FA 25/09/01634

I refer to your email dated 22 September 2025 in which you requested
access to documents held by Department of Home Affairs under the Freedom
of Information Act 1982 (the FOI Act).

You have requested access to the following:

I seek copies of:
1. All feedback submissions received by the Department of Home Affairs’
Global Feedback Unit (GFU) that were referred to the Responsible Business
Area (RBA) for the Australian Embassy in Bangkok covering the period 1
July 2024 to the date of this request.
2. All relevant correspondence or communications between the GFU and the
RBA in relation to these feedback submissions, for the same period.
For clarity, this request is for:
• GFU complaints/feedback referred to the specific post (Bangkok), and
• Correspondence generated in response to, or relating to, those
referrals.

On 15 October 2025, a departmental official wrote to you advising you of
their intention to refuse your request on the basis that a practical
refusal reason exists.

A practical refusal reason exists under section 24AA of the FOI Act if
either (or both) of the following applies:

(1)(a)(i) the work involved in the processing of the request would
substantially and unreasonably divert the resources of the Department from
its other operations.

(1)(b) the request does not satisfy the requirement in section 15(2)(b)
of the FOI Act, which requires you to provide such information concerning
the document you are seeking access to, to enable the Department to be
able to identify it.

It was considered that the request did not satisfy the requirements of
section 15(2)(b) of the FOI Act, and accordingly that a practical refusal
reasons exist under section 24AA(1)(b) of the FOI Act.

You were provided with a 14 day ‘consultation period’ to revise the scope
of your request to remove the practical refusal reason.

On 15 October 2025, you provided the following revised scope:

1. All feedback submissions received by the Department of Home Affairs’
Global Feedback Unit (GFU) that were referred to the Responsible Business
Area (RBA) for the Australian Embassy in Bangkok covering the period 1
July 2025 to the date of this request.

2. All relevant correspondence or communications between the GFU and the
RBA in relation to these feedback submissions, for the same period.

For clarity, this request is for:

• GFU complaints/feedback referred to the specific post (Bangkok), and

• Correspondence generated in response to, or relating to, those
referrals.

I consent to the redaction of personal or identifying information of
Departmental staff below the Senior Executive Service (SES) level.
However, I request that position numbers of all staff continue to be
included.

I trust this substantially reduces the number of documents falling within
scope, and I am hopeful the Department will now be able to process the
request without substantial or unreasonable diversion of resources.

On 29 October 2025, Department notified you of its intention to refuse
your request on the basis that the work involved in processing your
request in its current form would substantially and unreasonably divert
the resources of Department from its other operations due to its broad
nature, size and complexity, in accordance with section 24AA(1)(a)(i) of
the FOI Act.

In particular, Department notified you that, within 14 days of receipt of
that letter, you must advise Department that:

• you wish to make a revised request; or
• indicate that you do not wish to revise your request; or
• withdraw your request.

The 14 day period has now expired. As such, in accordance with section
24AB(7) of the FOI Act, Department considers that your request has been
withdrawn.

If you have any enquiries concerning this matter, please do not hesitate
to contact an FOI officer at [1][Department of Home Affairs request email].

Kind regards

Mary

FOI Officer | Position No. 60186969

Freedom of Information | Non-Personal Team

Privacy, FOI & Records Management Branch | Legal Group

Department of Home Affairs

E: [2][Department of Home Affairs request email]

Personal-Privacy
OFFICIAL: Sensitive

Important Notice: The content of this email is intended only for use by
the individual or entity to whom it is addressed. If you have received
this email by mistake, please advise the sender and delete the message and
attachments immediately. This email, including attachments, may contain
confidential, sensitive, legally privileged and/or copyright information.

Any review, retransmission, dissemination or other use of this information
by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited.
The Department of Home Affairs, the ABF and the National Emergency
Management Agency respect your privacy and have obligations under the
Privacy Act 1988.

Unsolicited commercial emails MUST NOT be sent to the originator of this
email.

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[Department of Home Affairs request email]
2. mailto:[Department of Home Affairs request email]

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