OFFICIAL

Dear M.M,

 

I refer to your request dated 27 May 2025, seeking access to documents
under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (the Act) as follows:

 

Request:

 

I request access to any operational outlines, internal communications, or
briefing documents from 2015 to 2024 that relate to joint task force
operations involving the Australian Federal Police, QLD Police, and/or the
Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission that targeted methamphetamine
use, distribution, or associated community surveillance.

 

This request includes references to community-based behavioural
surveillance, intelligence-led targeting, and digital surveillance of
persons not formally charged.

 

Timeframe – Seeking your agreement to an extension of time:

 

Upon consideration of your request, the AFP is of the view that your
request will take longer than 30 days to process.  The delay is
regrettable, however, due to an excessive number of requests that have
come through our office it will not be possible to advise you of a
decision by 26 June 2025.

 

Accordingly, pursuant to section 15AA of the Act, I seek your agreement to
extend the period by 30 days to notify you of a decision by 28 July 2025.

 

I would be grateful if you would advise this office in writing of your
agreement to the proposed extension of time by close of business Tuesday,
3 June 2025.

   

Consents – Please provide your response:

 

Please advise this office whether you consent to exclude the following
information:

 

o Identifying information of AFP members and Commonwealth employees
below SES level (names, ID numbers, signatures, images) (AFP members
and Commonwealth employees);
o AFP and Commonwealth agency contact details other than the official
public channels (direct telephone numbers and email addresses);
o Job titles of AFP members and Commonwealth employees below SES;
o Draft documents;
o Personal information of any individual other than you from the
documents you are seeking;
o Information provided by third parties to the AFP from the documents
you are seeking;
o All information about any third parties from the documents you are
seeking;
o Duplicate documents; and
o Documents you have already provided to us, or that we have already
sent to you.

  

Information Publication Scheme:

 

Please be advised that effective 1 May 2011 and in accordance with section
8(2) of the Act, an agency is required to publish information on the AFP
website following the notification of a decision in respect of a freedom
of information request. Details of the decision will be published in a
Disclosure Log which can be found at
[1]https://www.afp.gov.au/about-us/informat....

 

The requirement to publish information released under FOI reinforces the
objectives of the FOI Act to promote a pro-disclosure culture across
government, and to increase recognition that information held by
government is a national resource. Exceptions to the requirement to
publish information would apply to personal information and information
concerning the business affairs of a person if it was considered
‘unreasonable’ to do so. 

 

If however, after noting the above, you wish to raise any concerns about
the publication of information concerning your request prior to the
notification of a decision, please advise the AFP in writing before 26
June 2025

 

If you have any queries in relation to this matter, please do not hesitate
to contact our team at [2][AFP request email].

 

Yours sincerely,

AFP 28349

 

AFP 28349
FOI SUPPORT OFFICER | GENERAL COUNSEL - CORPORATE
CHIEF LEGAL COUNSEL
[3]Australian Federal Police
The Australian Federal Police acknowledges the Traditional Owners and
Custodians of Country
throughout Australia, and their continuing connection to land, sea and
community. We pay
our respects to First Nations people, culture and Elders past, present and
emerging.

 

 

show quoted sections

OFFICIAL

Dear M.M,

 

I refer to your request under the Freedom of Information Act (1982) on 27
May 2025 made in the following terms:

 

Request:

I request access to any operational outlines, internal communications, or
briefing documents from 2015 to 2024 that relate to joint task force
operations involving the Australian Federal Police, QLD Police, and/or the
Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission that targeted methamphetamine
use, distribution, or associated community surveillance.

 

This request includes references to community-based behavioural
surveillance, intelligence-led targeting, and digital surveillance of
persons not formally charged.

 

 

On consideration of your scope in its current form I believe that your
request for “any operational outlines, internal communications, or
briefing documents”  in relation to the subject matter would be too broad
to process and would constitute a practical refusal reason under section
24AA of the Act.

 

The terms “operational outlines” and “briefing documents” are too vague
and do not adequately describe what documents are sought, therefore it
would not be feasible to conduct searches with these parameters.

 

I interpret the term “internal communications” to mean internal AFP
emails. As you have not provided any specific email to/from addresses,
email audits would be required to be conducted organisation wide, over a 9
year period, using the key words “methamphetamine use”, “distribution” and
“community surveillance”. This is likely to return an extremely high
number of results which are likely not relevant to what you are seeking.

 

In addition, where you have requested to include “references to
community-based behavioural surveillance, intelligence-led targeting and
digital surveillance of persons not formally charged”, these terms are too
vague and undefinable for the purpose of searches. I also not that
information of this type is not something the AFP would likely confirm
existed or release.

 

Before proceeding to a formal intention to refuse your request, I am
contacting you informally to see if you would be agreeable to revise your
request.

 

As noted above, information relating to covert surveillance and
intelligence is not something the AFP would likely confirm or release,
therefore I am unable to provide you with suggestions on revision without
further details or context on what documents you are actually seeking.

 

My only suggestion would be limiting your request to Concept of Operations
documents for Joint Task Force Operations involving the AFP and QLD
Police, or AFP and ACIC, targeting methamphetamine use or distribution
between 2015 – 2024 (a shorter timeframe would be preferable).

 

This would at least allow for searches to be conducted with relevant
command areas.

 

Please provide a response to this revision request by 17 June 2025 in
order to continue processing your request.

 

 

 

In addition, I note that we have not received a response to our request
for an extension of time to process your request of 30 days below.

 

Please also advise whether you agree to extend the time period in which to
provide you with a decision by 30 days, by 17 June 2025.

 

Kind Regards,

 

 

DANIEL (AFP 27683)
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION OFFICER | COMMERCIAL, GOVERNANCE & INFORMATION

AFP LEGAL – CORPORATE | CHIEF COUNSEL PORTFOLIO
[1]Australian Federal Police

The Australian Federal Police acknowledges the Traditional Owners and
Custodians of Country
throughout Australia, and their continuing connection to land, sea and
community. We pay
our respects to First Nations people, culture and Elders past, present and
emerging.

 

 

 

 

 

From: FOI
Sent: Friday, 30 May 2025 8:56 AM
To: 'M.M' <[FOI #13226 email]>
Cc: FOI <[email address]>
Subject: FOI request LEX 4119 - Acknowledgement and Section 15AA Extension
Request [SEC=OFFICIAL] [AFP-L.FID242379]

 

OFFICIAL

Dear M.M,

 

I refer to your request dated 27 May 2025, seeking access to documents
under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (the Act) as follows:

 

Request:

 

I request access to any operational outlines, internal communications, or
briefing documents from 2015 to 2024 that relate to joint task force
operations involving the Australian Federal Police, QLD Police, and/or the
Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission that targeted methamphetamine
use, distribution, or associated community surveillance.

 

This request includes references to community-based behavioural
surveillance, intelligence-led targeting, and digital surveillance of
persons not formally charged.

 

Timeframe – Seeking your agreement to an extension of time:

 

Upon consideration of your request, the AFP is of the view that your
request will take longer than 30 days to process.  The delay is
regrettable, however, due to an excessive number of requests that have
come through our office it will not be possible to advise you of a
decision by 26 June 2025.

 

Accordingly, pursuant to section 15AA of the Act, I seek your agreement to
extend the period by 30 days to notify you of a decision by 28 July 2025.

 

I would be grateful if you would advise this office in writing of your
agreement to the proposed extension of time by close of business Tuesday,
3 June 2025.

   

Consents – Please provide your response:

 

Please advise this office whether you consent to exclude the following
information:

 

o Identifying information of AFP members and Commonwealth employees
below SES level (names, ID numbers, signatures, images) (AFP members
and Commonwealth employees);
o AFP and Commonwealth agency contact details other than the official
public channels (direct telephone numbers and email addresses);
o Job titles of AFP members and Commonwealth employees below SES;
o Draft documents;
o Personal information of any individual other than you from the
documents you are seeking;
o Information provided by third parties to the AFP from the documents
you are seeking;
o All information about any third parties from the documents you are
seeking;
o Duplicate documents; and
o Documents you have already provided to us, or that we have already
sent to you.

  

Information Publication Scheme:

 

Please be advised that effective 1 May 2011 and in accordance with section
8(2) of the Act, an agency is required to publish information on the AFP
website following the notification of a decision in respect of a freedom
of information request. Details of the decision will be published in a
Disclosure Log which can be found at
[2]https://www.afp.gov.au/about-us/informat....

 

The requirement to publish information released under FOI reinforces the
objectives of the FOI Act to promote a pro-disclosure culture across
government, and to increase recognition that information held by
government is a national resource. Exceptions to the requirement to
publish information would apply to personal information and information
concerning the business affairs of a person if it was considered
‘unreasonable’ to do so. 

 

If however, after noting the above, you wish to raise any concerns about
the publication of information concerning your request prior to the
notification of a decision, please advise the AFP in writing before 26
June 2025

 

If you have any queries in relation to this matter, please do not hesitate
to contact our team at [3][AFP request email].

 

Yours sincerely,

AFP 28349

 

AFP 28349
FOI SUPPORT OFFICER | GENERAL COUNSEL - CORPORATE
CHIEF LEGAL COUNSEL
[4]Australian Federal Police
The Australian Federal Police acknowledges the Traditional Owners and
Custodians of Country
throughout Australia, and their continuing connection to land, sea and
community. We pay
our respects to First Nations people, culture and Elders past, present and
emerging.

 

 

show quoted sections

OFFICIAL

Dear M.M.

 

Please find attached correspondence in relation to your request for access
to documents held by the Australian Federal Police under the Freedom of
Information Act 1982 (Cth),  LEX 4119.

 

Kind Regards,

JORDYN (AFP 27543)
PARALEGAL, FREEDOM OF INFORMATION | COMMERCIAL, GOVERNANCE & INFORMATION
AFP LEGAL – CORPORATE | CHIEF COUNSEL PORTFOLIO
[1]Australian Federal Police

 

 

 

show quoted sections

References

Visible links
1. http://www.afp.gov.au/