Structure of ADF MP / SECFOR Units
Dear Department of Defence,
I request the following documents related to the 1st Military Police Battalion (1 MP Bn), Joint Military Police Unit (JMPU), and Royal Australian Air Force Security Forces (RAAF SECFOR) for the current date:
Any document, or part of a document, that lists the primary sub-units (e.g., Company, Squadron, or equivalent) reporting directly to the Commanding Officer or Commander.
The generic rank (e.g., Major, Wing Commander, Captain) of the Commanding Officer or Commander of the unit and the Officer Commanding for each primary sub-unit.
I specifically exclude any names of personnel, highly-detailed or tactical organizational charts (ORBATs), or documents revealing operational deployments, specific capabilities, or security procedures.
Yours faithfully,
Jed
OFFICIAL
Dear Jed
Acknowledgement
I refer to your correspondence of 27 November 2025 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 scope of your request is:
…documents related to the 1st Military Police Battalion (1 MP Bn), Joint
Military Police Unit (JMPU), and Royal Australian Air Force Security
Forces (RAAF SECFOR) for the current date:
Any document, or part of a document, that lists the primary sub-units
(e.g., Company, Squadron, or equivalent) reporting directly to the
Commanding Officer or Commander.
The generic rank (e.g., Major, Wing Commander, Captain) of the Commanding
Officer or Commander of the unit and the Officer Commanding for each
primary sub-unit.
I specifically exclude any names of personnel, highly-detailed or tactical
organizational charts (ORBATs), or documents revealing operational
deployments, specific capabilities, or security procedures.
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 27 December 2025. 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 Defence is subject to a reduced work period during
December and January. We seek your agreement to a 30-day extension of time
under section 15AA of the FOI Act. If you agree to the extension, the new
statutory timeframe to provide you with a decision will end on 26 January
2026.
It would be much appreciated if you could confirm your agreement to this
extension of time via e-mail by close of business 9 December 2025.
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 contact:
[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 Jedstar,
Please find attached the Decision relating to Defence FOI 837/25/26.
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.
Regards,
Freedom of Information Team
Media and Information Disclosure Branch
Ministerial & Executive Coordination and Communication Division
Department of Defence
[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...
Dear Department of Defence,
Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.
I am writing to request an internal review of Department of Defence's handling of my FOI request 'Structure of ADF MP / SECFOR Units'.
I respectfully submit that the decision to refuse access was incorrect or, in the alternative, that access should be granted in part.
My request was narrowly framed to seek only high-level, generic organisational information relating to the 1st Military Police Battalion, Joint Military Police Unit, and RAAF Security Forces, specifically: Identification of primary sub-units reporting directly to the Commanding Officer or Commander; and The generic rank titles only of the Commanding Officer/Commander and Officers Commanding those sub-units.
I explicitly excluded: Names of personnel Tactical or detailed ORBATs Operational deployments, capabilities, or security procedures Information of this nature is administrative and structural, and comparable high-level organisational data is routinely published for other ADF units through official Defence sources, annual reports, Senate Estimates material, and public doctrine. The disclosure of generic unit structures and rank designations does not, of itself, reveal operational capability or prejudice Defence security.
If Defence maintains that some material is exempt, I request that consideration be given to: Partial access under section 22 of the FOI Act; and/or Provision of a summary document or extract that satisfies the request while mitigating any identified risk.
I further request that the internal review reconsider whether the relevant exemptions were applied too broadly, having regard to the objects of the FOI Act, particularly section 3, which promotes transparency and accountability in Defence administration.
Please confirm receipt of this request. I am content to be contacted if clarification would assist the review.
A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.righttoknow.org.au/request/s...
Yours faithfully,
Jedstar
OFFICIAL
Dear Jed,
This email is to acknowledge receipt of your email on 03/01/2026 seeking
an internal review, under section 54 of the Freedom of Information Act
1982 (Cth) (FOI Act), of the decision you received on your FOI request.
The review you are seeking is in relation to your FOI request for:
‘…documents related to the 1st Military Police Battalion (1 MP Bn), Joint
Military Police Unit (JMPU), and Royal Australian Air Force Security
Forces (RAAF SECFOR) for the current date:
Any document, or part of a document, that lists the primary sub-units
(e.g., Company, Squadron, or equivalent) reporting directly to the
Commanding Officer or Commander.
The generic rank (e.g., Major, Wing Commander, Captain) of the Commanding
Officer or Commander of the unit and the Officer Commanding for each
primary subunit.
I specifically exclude any names of personnel, highly-detailed or tactical
organizational charts (ORBATs), or documents revealing operational
deployments, specific capabilities, or security procedures.’
We understand that you are seeking a review of:
‘I respectfully submit that the decision to refuse access was incorrect
or, in the alternative, that access should be granted in part.'
The statutory deadline for Defence to issue you an internal review
decision is 30 days from the date we received your request. Consequently,
the statutory deadline for us to notify you of an internal review decision
is Monday 02/02/2026.
If we require further time to process the internal review, we can apply to
the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) for further
time to deal with your application under section 54D(3) of the FOI Act. We
will let you know if this happens.
In the meantime, please contact us by return email if you have any
questions.
Regards
FOI Review Team
FOI Review Directorate
Media and Information Disclosure Branch
Ministerial & Executive Coordination and Communication Division
Department of Defence
OFFICIAL
Dear Jedstar,
I am writing to provide you with an update on your application for an
internal review of Defence FOI 837/25/26.
As advised on 5 January 2026, the statutory deadline for you to receive an
internal review decision is 2 February 2026.
I am writing to let you know that we will not be able to provide you with
a decision by the current statutory due date. We currently have a large
backlog of matters and have had unexpected staff absences this past month,
which has impacted our ability to finalise your internal review.
We will be applying to the Office of the Australian Information
Commissioner (OAIC) under section 54D of the FOI Act for further time to
process your internal review application. Would you please let us know
whether you are comfortable with us applying for an additional 14 days to
deal with your internal review application?
Agreeing to this extension will give you the full benefit of all review
options under the FOI Act, including the ability to request an IC review
if needed. Without the extension, the internal review decision would
remain a deemed affirmation of the original decision, which limits your
rights. By allowing extra time, you keep every avenue open to ensure your
request is fully considered.
Could you please respond to our email by COB 2 February 2026.
Kind regards,
FOI Review Team
Media and Information Disclosure Branch
Ministerial & Executive Coordination and Communication Division
Department of Defence
PO Box 7910 Canberra BC ACT 2610
Email: [1][email address]
[2]http://www.defence.gov.au/FOI/privacy.asp
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. http://www.defence.gov.au/FOI/privacy.asp
Our reference: RQ26/00868
Agency reference: FOI 837/25/26
Agency name: Department of Defence
By Email: [1][email address]
Applicant Name: Jedstar
By Email: [2][FOI #14047 email]
Extension of time under s 54D
Dear Parties,
Please find attached an extension of time decision relating to the above
referenced FOI request.
Regards
[3][IMG] Bradley Penfold
Review Advisor, Early Resolution
FOI Case Management
Office of the Australian Information Commissioner
Sydney | GPO Box 5288 Sydney NSW 2001
E [4][email address]
The OAIC acknowledges Traditional Custodians of Country across
Australia and their continuing connection to land, waters and
communities. We pay our respect to First Nations people,
cultures and Elders past and present.
[5]Subscribe to Information Matters
Notice:
The information contained in this email message and any attached files may
be confidential information, and may also be the subject of legal
professional privilege. If you are not the intended recipient any use,
disclosure or copying of this email is unauthorised. If you received this
email in error, please notify the sender by contacting the department's
switchboard on 1300 488 064 during business hours (8:30am - 5pm Canberra
time) and delete all copies of this transmission together with any
attachments.
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
2. mailto:[FOI #14047 email]
3. https://www.oaic.gov.au/
4. mailto:[email address]
5. https://www.oaic.gov.au/engage-with-us/n...