Reporting on the Legal Services Directions

Charles Powers made this Freedom of Information request to Department of Home Affairs

This request has been closed to new correspondence from the public body. Contact us if you think it ought be re-opened.

The request was refused by Department of Home Affairs.

Dear Department of Immigration and Border Protection,

I would like all reports given to the Attorney-General, Attorney-General's Department or Office of Legal Services Coordination regarding compliance with the Legal Services Directions, including but not limited to annual compliance certificates, for the period 1 July 2015 to present.

Yours faithfully,

Charles Powers

** This is an automated response. Please do not reply to this email **

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

 

Your email has been received by the Department of Immigration and Border
Protection’s Freedom of Information (FOI) Section. Please note that we
will only action and respond to FOI requests and other matters relating to
the Freedom of Information Act 1982.

 

If your email is a valid FOI request, the Department will contact you
shortly to acknowledge your request. Please do not send duplicate emails
as this may cause delays in processing times.

 

For matters not relating to the Freedom of Information Act 1982, please
refer to the information below to assist in the resolution of your
enquiry.

 

General information regarding travelling to Australia

Information for visitors to Australia can be found [1]here.

Information regarding potential visa options can be found [2]here.

 

Request for a copy of your Visa Refusal or Visa Grant letter

If you have lost or misplaced correspondence regarding your Visa Refusal
or Visa Grant, or you wish to confirm the authenticity of your Visa
Refusal or Visa Grant, you should contact the office where you lodged your
visa application. 

Details of our offices located around the world can be found [3]here.

 

Queries regarding your current Visa status

You can check your visa details and conditions on the Department’s Visa
Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO) portal.  If you do not have the
necessary reference numbers to access the VEVO portal, you should contact
the office where you lodged your visa application for further information.

 

Refund of Visa fees

If you are seeking a refund of fees associated with your Visa, you should
contact the office where you lodged your visa application.  Details of our
offices located around the world can be found [4]here.

 

Making a Visa application

Registered migration agents are authorised to provide immigration advice
or assistance, including advice regarding the lodgement of visa
applications. Further information on migration agents may be found
[5]here.  Please note that the Department is unable to assist you in this
regard.

 

If you are experiencing technical difficulties in lodging your visa
application through ImmiAccount, you should submit your concerns through
the ImmiAccount Technical Support Form, which is accessible [6]here.

 

Australian Citizenship

If you are seeking evidence of your Australian Citizenship, you should
complete Form 119, which can be found [7]here.  Details on where to send
your completed form may be found on page 8 of the Form.  This form will
not be actioned by the FOI Section.

 

Information on how to apply for Australian citizenship, information for
Australian citizens and Australian Citizenship Day can be found [8]here.

 

Movement Records/Travel History

If you are seeking evidence of your own travel movements/history you
should complete Form 1359, which can be found [9]here. Details on where to
send your request may be found on page 1 and 2 of the Form. This request
will not be actioned by the FOI Section.

 

Superannuation – Evidence of Immigration Status

If you are seeking evidence of your own immigration status for
superannuation purposes, you should complete Form 1194, which can be found
[10]here. Details on where to send your completed form may be found on
page 1 of the Form. This request will not be actioned by the FOI Section.

 

Update Passport Details

Information on how to update your address or passport details can be found
[11]here.

 

Notification of Change in Circumstances

If you have lodged a visa application and your circumstances have changed,
you should submit [12]Form 1022 to the office where you lodged your visa
application. Details of our offices located around the world can be found
[13]here. The FOI Section does not process these forms. 

 

Notification of incorrect answers

If you wish to correct answers that you have provided to the Department
either:

·         in a visa application

·         on a passenger card or

·         in response to a notice given to you by the Department inviting
you to comment on possible non-compliance with an obligation to correct
incorrect information

You should submit [14]Form 1023 to the Department. Details of our offices
located around the world can be found [15]here. The FOI Section does not
process these forms. 

 

Duty Free concessions

Information relating to duty free concessions can be found [16]here.

 

General Enquiries

If you have a question, which has not been answered above, and which is
about visa, citizenship, travel or trade, including bringing goods in and
out of Australia, please refer to our general enquiries web form [17]here.

 

 

Thank you

 

Information updated 20 November 2017

 

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References

Visible links
1. http://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Visi
2. http://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Visa-1
3. http://www.border.gov.au/about/contact/o...
4. http://www.border.gov.au/about/contact/o...
5. https://www.mara.gov.au/
6. https://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Visa/Immi...
7. http://www.border.gov.au/Forms/Documents...
8. http://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Citi
9. http://www.border.gov.au/FormsAndDocumen...
10. http://www.border.gov.au/Forms/Documents...
11. http://www.border.gov.au/Lega/Lega/Form/...
12. http://www.border.gov.au/Forms/Documents...
13. http://www.border.gov.au/about/contact/o...
14. http://www.border.gov.au/Forms/Documents...
15. http://www.border.gov.au/about/contact/o...
16. http://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Ente/Duty-...
17. http://www.border.gov.au/about/contact/m...

UNCLASSIFIED

In reply please quote:

FOI Request:       FA 17/12/00568 

File Number:       ADF2017/134205

Dear Mr Powers

Acknowledgement of Freedom of Information Access request

I refer to your correspondence received on 14 December 2017 seeking access
to documents held by the Department of Immigration and Border Protection
(the Department) under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (the FOI Act).

You have requested access to the following:

I would like all reports given to the Attorney-General, Attorney-General's
Department or Office of Legal Services Coordination regarding compliance
with the Legal Services Directions, including but not limited to annual
compliance certificates, for the period 1 July 2015 to present.

Your request was received by the Department on 14 December 2017 and has
been allocated FOI request number FA 17/12/00568  .  Please include your
FOI request number in all correspondence with the Freedom of Information
Section. 

Timeframe for receiving your decision

The statutory timeframe for processing a request is 30 days from the date
upon which your application was received by the Department.

Request for an extension of time

The Department seeks your agreement (under s.15AA of the FOI Act) to
extend the timeframe for the processing of your request by 30 days. You
may confirm your agreement to the extension of time by writing to the
Department at:

Email to: foi @border.gov.au

 

Or by mail at:  Freedom of Information Section

Department of Immigration and Border Protection

PO Box 25
BELCONNEN  ACT  2616

If you agree to the extension of time please advise the Department within
14 days from the date of this letter. If you are unable or unwilling to
provide an extension of time you are not required to respond to this
letter.

Exclusion of non-SES staff personal details and SES telephone contact
details

The Department’s policy is to exclude the personal details of officers not
in the Senior Executive Service (SES), as well as the mobile and work
telephone numbers of SES staff, contained in documents that fall within
scope of an FOI request. If you require names and contact details of
non-SES officers, or direct telephone numbers 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.

Publication of document

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.

Contacting the FOI Section

Should you wish to discuss your request you may contact the FOI Section at
[1][email address].  

 

 

Freedom of Information Section

FOI, Privacy and Records Management Branch

Corporate Services Division

Department of Immigration and Border Protection

 

 

 

 

 

Reetu Kakkar

Authorised Decision Maker

Department of Immigration and Border Protection

 

UNCLASSIFIED

 

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. 
DIBP respects your privacy and has obligations under the Privacy Act 1988.
 

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

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]

FOI, Department of Home Affairs

1 Attachment

UNCLASSIFIED

 

Dear Mr Powers

 

FOI request: FA 17/12/00568

 

I refer to your FOI request received on 14 December 2017 seeking access to
the following:

 

“All reports given to the Attorney-General, Attorney-General's Department
or Office of Legal Services Coordination regarding compliance with the
Legal Services Directions, including but not limited to annual compliance
certificates, for the period 1 July 2015 to present.”

 

This email is to advise you of my intention to refuse access to the
documents sought by you under section 24AA of the FOI Act.  Please find
attached the notice of intent to refuse access letter for further
information.

 

The FOI Act provides you with 14 days to respond, in writing, to this
notice, which is close of business Wednesday, 17 January 2018.

 

Kind Regards

Reetu Kakkar

FOI Officer

Freedom of Information, Privacy and Records Management Branch | Corporate
Support Division

Corporate Group
Department of Immigration and Border Protection
E: [1][DIBP request email]

UNCLASSIFIED

 

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 and ABF 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:[DIBP request email]

Charles Powers left an annotation ()

The main part of the s 24AB notice reads as follows:

It is the Department’s view that where it appears that a request under the Act for access to documents is likely to take more than 40 hours to complete, the request should be assessed under s.24AA(1) of the Act to determine if a practical refusal reason exists in relation to the request. This balances the rights of applicants to seek information under the Act with the Departments need to appropriately allocate resources to its functions.

The Department has identified 67 documents in total that fall within the scope of your request which have been roughly estimated to contain at least 1000 folios that would need to be assessed in order to make decision on this request. In calculating the processing time at approximately five minutes per page, which includes ensuring all documentation has been sourced, compiling a schedule of documents and assessing and applying redactions, I estimate that it would take in excess of 83 hours to process this request.

FOI, Department of Home Affairs

UNCLASSIFIED

 

Dear Mr Powers,

 

Freedom of Information Request FA17/12/00568

I refer to your email dated 14 December 2017 in which you requested access
to documents held by Department of Home Affairs under the Freedom of
Information Act 1982 (the FOI Act).

You specifically requested access to:

'I would like all reports given to the Attorney-General,
Attorney-General's Department or Office of Legal Services Coordination
regarding compliance with the Legal Services Directions, including but not
limited to annual compliance certificates, for the period 1 July 2015 to
present.'

On 3 January 2018, 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 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][DIBP request email].

 

Kind Regards

FOI Officer

Freedom of Information, Privacy and Records Management Branch | Corporate
Support Division

Corporate Group
Department of Home Affairs

E: [2][DIBP request email]

 

 

UNCLASSIFIED

 

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 and ABF 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:[DIBP request email]
2. mailto:[DIBP request email]