OFFICIAL

Dear Moe

Thank you for your email received by the Department of Defence in which
you have sought documents under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI
Act).

The scope of your received reads:

I am after all documents, reports & communication that relate to the legal
advice the Defence Minister Richard Marles  has received in regarding the
fighting, bombing and blockade of Gaza in October 2023

Can you please confirm if you are seeking access for documents held by the
Minister for Defence, or Department of Defence? If you seek documents
within the possession of the Department of Defence I propose including
‘from the Department of Defence’ in to the scope of your request, can you
please confirm the below scope reflects to the documents you wish to
obtain:

I am after all documents, reports & communication that relate to the legal
advice the Defence Minister Richard Marles has received from the
Department of Defence in regarding the fighting, bombing and blockade of
Gaza in October 2023

Once confirmation is received your request will be actioned accordingly.

Thank you and regards

Freedom of Information Team

Media and Information Disclosure Branch

Ministerial & Executive Coordination and Communication Division

Department of Defence

Tel: 02 6132 7927 

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.

show quoted sections

OFFICIAL

Dear Moe

Acknowledgement

I refer to your correspondence of 15 and 16 October 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 and allocated for Case Management.

The revised scope of your request is:

…all documents, reports & communication that relate to the legal advice
the Defence Minister Richard Marles has received from the Department of
Defence in regarding the fighting, bombing and blockade of Gaza in October
2023.

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 15 November 2023. 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.

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 do not
hesitate to contact us via email: [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

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

OFFICIAL

Dear FOI Applicant,

Please find attached the Decision relating to Defence FOI request
352/23/24.

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.

Kind regards,

Ryan

Freedom of Information
Media and Information Disclosure Branch

Ministerial & Executive Coordination and Communication Division

Department of Defence

Tel: 02 5108 8851

[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...