OFFICIAL

 

FOI Request: LEX 13373

 

Dear Tyler

 

Thank you for your email dated 16 February 2026 to the Department of
Foreign Affairs and Trade (the department), seeking access to documents
under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act).  

 

Similar FOI request (LEX 13252)

 

On 14 January 2026, the department received the following FOI request:

 

any communications including emails, text messages or other forms of
communication, briefs, notes or advice created or held by the Department
that relate to the resignation of the Hon Kevin Rudd AC as Australia’s
Ambassador to the United States… from 1 January 2026 to 13 January 2026.

 

On 13 February 2026, the department notified the applicant of its decision
to release documents with exempt and irrelevant material removed.

 

A copy of these documents will be published shortly on the department’s
[1]disclosure log.

 

Scope of your request:

 

You have sought access to: 

 

• documents that were submitted to the Governor-General, or other
relevant officers (e.g. Prime Minister??), for approval of recall of
Hon. Kevin Rudd from the post of Ambassador to the United States of
America;
• formal written correspondence from Australia to the United States, and
from the United States to Australia, conveying or confirming the above
recall.

 

Request for your withdrawal

 

We consider that request (LEX 13252) would also capture the documents that
would fall in scope of your request.

 

To avoid duplication of work, we would be grateful if you would reply
consenting to withdraw your FOI request at your earliest convenience.

 

General FOI matters

 

If you wish to proceed with your FOI request, below is some information
about how your request will be processed by DFAT.

 

Timeframe for receiving our decision:  

We received your request on 16 February 2026, and the 30-day statutory
period for processing your request commenced from the day after that date.
A decision is currently due to you by 18 March 2026. The period of 30 days
may be extended in certain circumstances.    

 

Charges:   

Please note that the department may issue charges for processing FOI
requests.  If applicable, we will advise you of any relevant charges when
we are in a position to estimate the resources required to process your
request.   

   

Disclosure log:   

Please note that, with some exceptions (such as personal information),
documents released under the FOI Act may later be published on
the department’s [2]disclosure log.   

  

Exclusion of officials’ names and contact details:  

It is the department’s policy to withhold the personal information of
junior staff from ministerial offices and government officials not in the
Senior Executive Service (SES) or equivalent, including their email
addresses and contact numbers, together with all signatures, mobile phone
numbers, departmental inboxes and technical transmission details including
reference numbers.  

   

Duplicate documents and incomplete email chains:  

Your request will be processed on the basis that you did not intend to
capture duplicate documents or duplicate emails within email chains.  

 

If you require the excluded information or documents, please let us know
at [3][DFAT request email] so the decision-maker may consider; otherwise, we
will take it that you agree to the information and documents being
excluded from the scope of your request.  

  

Personal Information:  

If we need to consult with other people or organisations regarding your
FOI request, we may need to disclose your personal information (e.g. your
name). When we consult it may be apparent that you have made a request,
even if we do not disclose your identity. Please let us know if you have
any concerns in this regard. Further information on the way the department
handles personal information is accessible via our [4]privacy policy.  

  

Should you require any further information, please do not hesitate to
contact us by reply email.  

  

Kind regards  

 

DFAT FOI Team

_____________________________________________________
Freedom of Information Section
Public Interest Law Branch | Regulatory and Legal Policy Division

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

[5]dfat.gov.au | [6]X | [7]Facebook | [8]Instagram  | [9]LinkedIn

[10]A close up of a pink and orange background AI-generated content may be
incorrect.

© Brooke Rigney-Lively (2024)

We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia,
and their continuing connection to land, waters and community. We pay our
respects to all First Nations peoples, their cultures and to their Elders,
past, present and emerging.

 

 

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