Recommendations to the Australian Government about Gaza from 7th October 2023 until now
Dear Council for Australian-Arab Relations,
Background:
The charter of the Council for Australian-Arab Relations say "The function of the Council is to make recommendations to the Australian Government through the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Minister for Trade (hereafter referred to as “the Ministers”) on strengthening Australia’s cultural, economic, political and social relations with Arab countries in support of Australian foreign and trade policy priorities."
FOI Request
I would like documents showing the recommendations made to the Ministers regarding Gaza from the 7th October 2023 until now.
Yours faithfully,
Foifoi Mcgee
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Kind Regards,
Council for Australian-Arab Relations (CAAR) Secretariat
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia
Website: [1]Council for Australian-Arab Relations (CAAR) | Australian
Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (dfat.gov.au)
References
Visible links
1. https://www.dfat.gov.au/people-to-people...
OFFICIAL
DFAT FOI Reference: LEX 12828
Dear FOIFOI McGee
Thank you for your email dated 10 September 2025, seeking access to
documents under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act).
This email sets out some information about how your request will be
processed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (the
department).
Scope of request
You have requested for access to:
The charter of the Council for Australian-Arab Relations say "The function
of the Council is to make recommendations to the Australian Government
through the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Minister for Trade
(hereafter referred to as “the Ministers”) on strengthening Australia’s
cultural, economic, political and social relations with Arab countries in
support of Australian foreign and trade policy priorities."
FOI Request
I would like documents showing the recommendations made to the Ministers
regarding Gaza from the 7th October 2023 until now.
If it emerges that the scope of your request is unclear or is too large
for processing, the department will contact you to discuss re-scoping the
request.
Timeframe for receiving our decision
We received your request on 10 September 2025, 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: 10 October 2025 .
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 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 [1][email address] 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 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
[2]dfat.gov.au | [3]X | [4]Facebook | [5]Instagram | [6]LinkedIn
© 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
OFFICIAL
DFAT FOI Reference: LEX 12828
Dear FOIFOI McGee
Please find attached decision regarding your Department of Foreign Affairs
and trade FOI request.
Kind Regards
DFAT FOI Team
_______________________________
Freedom of Information Section
Public Interest Law Branch | Regulatory and Legal Policy Division
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
[1]dfat.gov.au | [2]X | [3]Facebook | [4]Instagram | [5]LinkedIn
© 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
From: FOI
Sent: Thursday, 11 September 2025 11:17 AM
To: [FOI #13635 email]
Subject: Your DFAT FOI Request - Acknowledgement - LEX 12828
[SEC=OFFICIAL]
OFFICIAL
DFAT FOI Reference: LEX 12828
Dear FOIFOI McGee
Thank you for your email dated 10 September 2025, seeking access to
documents under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act).
This email sets out some information about how your request will be
processed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (the
department).
Scope of request
You have requested for access to:
The charter of the Council for Australian-Arab Relations say "The function
of the Council is to make recommendations to the Australian Government
through the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Minister for Trade
(hereafter referred to as “the Ministers”) on strengthening Australia’s
cultural, economic, political and social relations with Arab countries in
support of Australian foreign and trade policy priorities."
FOI Request
I would like documents showing the recommendations made to the Ministers
regarding Gaza from the 7th October 2023 until now.
If it emerges that the scope of your request is unclear or is too large
for processing, the department will contact you to discuss re-scoping the
request.
Timeframe for receiving our decision
We received your request on 10 September 2025, 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: 10 October 2025 .
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 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 [6][email address] 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 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
[7]dfat.gov.au | [8]X | [9]Facebook | [10]Instagram | [11]LinkedIn
© 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