Dear Mr Fairless
 
Re: Freedom of Information (FOI) Request
 
Thank you for your email dated 31 December 2014 in which you seek access
under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 to:
 
'any internal correspondence from within the Minister's office which
relate to the "blocking" of individuals from being able to view and
respond to the @JulieBishopMP twitter account'
 
Searches are now being undertaken for documents relevant to your request. 
 
Timeframe for receiving your decision:
We received your request on 31 December 2014 and the 30 day statutory
period for processing your request commenced from the day after that
date.  You should therefore expect a decision from us by 30 January 2014. 
The period of 30 days may be extended in certain circumstances.  We will
advise you if there is any extension of time.
 
Scope of request:
If it emerges that the scope of your request is unclear or is too large
for processing, we will contact you to discuss re-scoping the request.
 
Exclusion of officers’ names and contact details:
It is the policy of the Foreign Minister's Office policy to withhold the
names and contact details of officers not in the Senior Executive Service
(SES) within the Office contained within documents that fall within scope
of the request.  If you require the names and contact details of non-SES
officers please let us know at [1][Minister for Foreign Affairs request email] so the decision-maker
may consider; otherwise we will take it that you agree to that information
being excluded from the scope of your request.
 
Personal Information:
Your personal information has been collected by the Foreign Minister's
Office as a result of your correspondence, and will be used in order to
process your FOI request.  Your personal information is protected by law,
including the Privacy Act 1988. 
 
Please note that if we need to consult with other people regarding release
of the documents you have requested, we may need to disclose your personal
information. When we consult with other people about a request you have
made, it may be apparent to those people that you have made a request,
even if we do not disclose your identity. If you have concerns about the
Office consulting with other people about your request, please let us know
your concerns.
 
Should you require any further information, please contact me by return
email.
 
Yours sincerely
 
James Choi
Senior Adviser
Office of the Minister for Foreign Affairs
 
 
 

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[Minister for Foreign Affairs request email]

Mr Ben Fairless
[1][FOI #846 email]

Dear Mr Fairless

Re: Freedom of Information (FOI) Request

I refer to your e-mail of 2 January 2015 in which you seek access under
the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) to:

'any internal correspondence from within the Minister's office which
relate to the "blocking" of individuals from being able to view and
respond to the @JulieBishopMP twitter account'.

I am authorised under section 23 of the FOI Act to make decisions, and
have been appointed to be the decision-maker on your request. 

I advise that a search of the records in the Foreign Minister's Office has
failed to identify any document relevant to the scope of your request.

I am therefore unable to meet your request in accordance with the
provisions of section 24A(1)(b)(ii) as DFAT holds no documents relevant to
your request.

Please find your rights of review outlined below.

Australian Information Commissioner
Under the provisions of section 54 of the FOI Act, you are entitled to
request a review by the Australian Information Commissioner of my access
refusal decision.  You may also make a complaint to the Australian
Information Commissioner under section 70 on the Foreign Minister's
Office's  performance of its functions or the exercise of power under the
FOI Act.

Your request for review or complaint should be addressed to:

Office of the Australian Information Commissioner GPO Box 2999 Canberra
City  ACT 2601
email: [2][email address]
Telephone:      1300 363 992
Fax:            (02) 9284 9666

Complaints to the Commonwealth Ombudsman You may complain to the Ombudsman
concerning actions taken by the Foreign Minister's Office in the exercise
of its powers or, more specifically, the performance of its  functions
under the FOI Act.  There is no fee for making a complaint. The Ombudsman
will conduct an independent investigation of your complaint.

You may complain to the Ombudsman by calling or writing to:
Commonwealth Ombudsman
Level 5, Childers Square,
14 Childers Street
Canberra City  ACT  2601
email: [3][email address]
Telephone:      1300 362 072
Fax:            (02) 6276 0123

Should you have any queries regarding this matter please contact me by
return e-mail.

Yours sincerely
 
James Choi
Senior Adviser
Office of the Minister for Foreign Affairs
Tel: 02 6277 7500
 
 
 

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[FOI #846 email]
2. mailto:[email address]
3. mailto:[email address]