[1]Australian Government Department of Home Affairs logo

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Your email has been received by the Department of Home Affairs’ (the
Department) Freedom of Information (FOI) section.

If you have lodged a request for access to documents or amendment to
information, you will receive an acknowledgement letter within 14 days.

Please see our website for more information on submitting a valid request
for access to information. [2]Freedom of information
(homeaffairs.gov.au)  

Legal priority: If your situation has changed to the extent that your FOI
request now have a legal priority such as Administrative Appeals Tribunal,
Court, Ministerial Intervention, Visa cancellation deadline since you
submitted your initial request, please provide a physical evidence to
support your priority claim.

We’re responding to a large volume of requests

Due to the high volume of requests we receive, we will not be able to
respond to requests to provide status updates on current requests for
information.  We prioritise processing the requests we receive, including
yours.

If processing your request is going to take us a lot of time because the
request is large or the request is unclear, it may be refused.  

Frequently Asked Questions

If your email relates to other matters then please contact the relevant
area of the Department or review the frequently asked questions below. The
mailbox is unable to respond to visa and citizenship status updates or
questions. If your query is answered by this information you will not
receive another response to your email.

Your Query General Information
If you applied [4]Our online services (homeaffairs.gov.au)
online, you can
check your visa [5]Ceremony wait times (homeaffairs.gov.au)
application status
in [3]ImmiAccount.
I want to access [6]Check visa details and conditions
my visa details (homeaffairs.gov.au)
I want to apply [7]Applying online in ImmiAccount
for a visa to (homeaffairs.gov.au)
Australia
My visa has [8]Your visa is expiring or has expired
expired (homeaffairs.gov.au)
I want to apply [9]Become a citizen (homeaffairs.gov.au)
for Australian
Citizenship or [10]Evidence of citizenship and certificates Change
access/amend my a citizenship certificate (homeaffairs.gov.au)
citizenship
details  
I want my travel [11]Requesting travel records (homeaffairs.gov.au)
records in and out
of Australia
I am having Use our [12]technical guide to troubleshoot in
technical problems [13]ImmiAccount.
lodging an
application If you are still unable to resolve your issue submit
the [14]ImmiAccount Technical Support Form
I wish to provide Provide information by [15]ImmiAccount. After you
information about submit your application, use [16]ImmiAccount to:
a visa application
or provide ·         apply for a bridging visa
information about
changes to my ·         access the My Health Declarations service
situation
·         attach documents to your online
  application

·         check the progress of your application

·         update your passport or address details

·         notify of incorrect information in your
application

Further details and instructions refer to
[17]ImmiAccount Help & Support

[18]Changes in your situation (homeaffairs.gov.au)
I have made an If you have been sent a request letter to complete
appointment for a health but are experiencing delays you can attach
health/biometrics details of your appointment to [19]ImmiAccount. 
examination
I want to withdraw [20]You want to withdraw an application
my visa or (homeaffairs.gov.au)
citizenship
application
I want to update [21]Changes in your situation (homeaffairs.gov.au)
my address,
contact or
passport details
Can my visa fee be Refunds can only be made in very limited
refunded? circumstances governed by legislation. 

For further information see  [22]Getting a refund
(homeaffairs.gov.au)
Visa eligibility Information on [23]visa options is available on the
query Department’s website.
Since my visa was [24]Changes in your situation (homeaffairs.gov.au)
granted I have had
a child born in
Australia
 I want to report [25]Border Watch Online Report (homeaffairs.gov.au)
suspicious or
illegal
immigration, visa,
customs and trade
activity.
I want to lodge Find out how to provide [26]Compliments, complaints
feedback about a and suggestions
Department service

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, the ABF and the National Emergency
Management Agency 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
2. https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/access-an...
3. https://online.immi.gov.au/ola/app
4. https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/help-sup...
5. https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/citizens...
6. https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/al...
7. https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/help-sup...
8. https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/vi...
9. https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/citizens...
10. https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/citizens...
11. https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/entering...
12. https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/help-sup...
13. https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/trav/visa...
14. https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/help-sup...
15. https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/Trav/Visa...
16. https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/trav/visa...
17. file:///tmp/chttps:/immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/help-support/applying-online-or-on-paper/online
18. https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/change-i...
19. https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/trav/visa...
20. https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/change-i...
21. https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/change-i...
22. https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/change-i...
23. https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/ge...
24. https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/change-i...
25. https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/help-and-...
26. https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/help-and-...

OFFICIAL: Sensitive
Personal-Privacy

In reply please quote:

FOI Request:         FA 24/09/01061

File Number:         FA2409/01061 

Dear Oliver Smith (Right to Know)

Acknowledgement of Freedom of Information Access request

This letter acknowledges that on 18 September 2024 the Department of Home
Affairs (the Department) received your request to access documents held
by  the Department under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (the FOI
Act). This letter also provides important information about your request.

Scope of request

You have requested access to the following:

Under the FOI Act, please provide a list of Ministerial Submissions sent
by Home Affairs to the office of the Hon Tony Burke MP in his capacity as
the Minister for Home Affairs, and Minister Immigration and Multicultural
Affairs from the date of 12 August 2024 to 16 September 2024. Please
include: the PDR number, subject of brief, and date sent to the office.

Your request has been allocated FOI request number FA 24/09/01061. Please
include your FOI request number in all correspondence with the Freedom of
Information Section.

Timeframe

The timeframe for processing a request is 30 days from the day we receive
your request, as set out in the FOI Act.

Your review rights in relation to your request are available on [1]Freedom
of information reviews | OAIC.

Fees and Charges

Charges do not apply to requests from individuals seeking access to
documents about themselves. However, a charge may apply to all other
requests for access to documents.

Charges are based on the amount of time the Department spends on your
request. Charges can range from $10 to over $1,000 depending on the
complexity and scope of your request. The Office of the Australian
Information Commissioner reported that across the public service, the
average charge notified was $335.50 in 2020-21.

If a charge applies, you will be issued with a Notice of Charge that
explains the charge and your options.

Detailed information about FOI charges that may apply to your FOI request
is available on [2]the Department’s website.

We do not provide personal details of staff or non-public facing
operational email addresses

The Department’s practice is to exclude the personal details of Government
employees, including contractors, not in the Senior Executive Service
(SES), as well as the direct contact details of SES staff, contained in
documents that fall within scope of an FOI request. If you require
personal details of non-SES officers, or direct contact details 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 as irrelevant under section
22(1)(a)(ii) of the FOI Act. However names of staff that have previously
been released in departmental correspondence may be disclosed.

We do not provide duplicated documents

If the FOI decision-maker deems a document to be a duplicate, they will
not assess those pages as part of your FOI request. This means that if a
there is a decision to release the document to you, you will receive only
one copy, even if multiple copies of that document exist.

Publication of document

Released documents you request may be published to our website.

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.

How to reduce or withdraw your request

Reducing the scope of your request can reduce the time and charges
associated with processing your FOI request.

To reduce or withdraw your request, contact the FOI section at
[3][Department of Home Affairs request email] and include your FOI request number.

Contacting the FOI Section

Should you wish to discuss your request you may contact the FOI Section at
[Department of Home Affairs request email].

Kind Regards

David
Team Leader – Authorised FOI Officer, Freedom of Information
Position Number 60157647

Privacy, FOI and Records Management Branch

Legal Group

Department of Home Affairs

E: [4][Department of Home Affairs request email]

Personal-Privacy
OFFICIAL: Sensitive

show quoted sections

OFFICIAL: Sensitive
Personal-Privacy

In reply please quote:

FOI Request:        FA 24/09/01061

File Number:         FA24/09/01061

Dear Oliver Smith (Right to Know)

I refer to your request received on 18 September 2024 for access to
documents under the FOI Act. 

The current due date for your request is 18 October 2024. The Department
seeks your agreement under section 15AA of the FOI Act to extend the
timeframe for the processing of your request by 30 days. This would extend
the due date for your request to 17 November 2024.   However, as this date
falls on a non-working day, section 36(2) of the Acts Interpretation Act
1901 provides that the latest date the Department may issue a decision
would be the next working day, which is Monday 18 November 2024.

The reason we are seeking an extension of time is due to demand for
Departmental documents is high and we continue to experience increasing
volumes of incoming requests particularly in recent months. Each request
received by the Department is managed in the context of this large volume
which can impact the timeliness of our decisions and as such we seek
agreement from applicants on extensions of time where possible. We are
endeavouring to ensure, as an applicant, you understand the likely
timeframe for your request to be finalised. We continue to try to process
requests as quickly as possible regardless of if an extension is provided.

If you could please provide a response to this request by close of
business, 23 September 2024.

Kind Regards,

David
Team Leader – Authorised FOI Officer, Freedom of Information
Position Number 60157647

Privacy, FOI and Records Management Branch

Legal Group

Department of Home Affairs

E: [1][Department of Home Affairs request email]

Personal-Privacy
OFFICIAL: Sensitive

show quoted sections

OFFICIAL: Sensitive

Dear Oliver Smith,

FOI request FA 24/09/01061

I refer to your FOI request received on 18 September 2024, seeking access
to the following:

Under the FOI Act, please provide a list of Ministerial Submissions sent
by Home Affairs to the office of the Hon Tony Burke MP in his capacity as
the Minister for Home Affairs, and Minister Immigration and Multicultural
Affairs from the date of 12 August 2024 to 16 September 2024. Please
include: the PDR number, subject of brief, and date sent to the office.

Please find attached a Practical Refusal Notice for your request.

Kind regards,

Lyn

Position Number: 60186967

Privacy, FOI & Records Management Branch | Legal Group

Department of Home Affairs

Email: [1][Department of Home Affairs request email]  

[2]Acknowledgement of Country Signature Block Graphic 2022 (2)

OFFICIAL: Sensitive

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, the ABF and the National Emergency
Management Agency 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:[Department of Home Affairs request email]

OFFICIAL: Sensitive

Good afternoon Oliver Smith,

Thank you for your response.

Please note that we cannot release titles, submission subjects (or any
words) without consulting with the relevant business area of the
Department (the area which wrote the submission) on whether harm may be
caused by the release of the words in the title.

The titles requested are submissions prepared across the entire portfolio
of the Department, rather than on one particular topic. Therefore, an
initial assessment of the 95 titles has indicated that consultation would
need to be conducted with 30 separate business areas and 12 third parties.

Consultation, even on a title, can be involved and take some time or
require input from multiple business areas. In addition, if the title
reveals Cabinet deliberations we are required to consult with the
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

In the example of previously released lists of Ministerial Submissions
you’ve provided, some of these redactions required clearance from multiple
business areas and took several weeks to decide on.

Therefore, the practical refusal reason still exists as each title must be
consulted on individually as the information is sensitive and requires
careful consideration, which would substantially and unreasonably divert
the resources of the Department from its other operations.

I hope my response has answered your queries. If you wish to discuss this
further, our Assistant Director would be happy to talk over the phone with
you, if you wish to provide a contact number to us

Thank you.

Kind regards,

Lyn

Position Number: 60186967

Privacy, FOI & Records Management Branch | Legal Group

Department of Home Affairs

Email: [1][Department of Home Affairs request email]  

[2]Acknowledgement of Country Signature Block Graphic 2022 (2)

OFFICIAL: Sensitive

From: Oliver Smith <[FOI #12064 email]>
Sent: Thursday, 3 October 2024 4:54 PM
To: FOI <[Department of Home Affairs request email]>
Subject: Re: FOI request FA 24/09/01061 [SEC=OFFICIAL:Sensitive]

Dear FOI,

Thank you for your email and consideration of my FOI request. I reject the
Department's findings on the following grounds:

1.  The FOI request is only asking for the subject of the brief, the PDR
number and the date send to the office. There is no identifying
information or need to consult internally for this information. If it is
the Department's contention that they need to consult so extensively,
please provide the grounds on which this consultation is required.

2. I refer to recent precedent where the Department has responded to
similar FOI inquiries

[3]https://www.righttoknow.org.au/request/m...

[4]https://www.righttoknow.org.au/request/m...

Looking forward to your feedback

Yours sincerely,

Oliver Smith

show quoted sections

OFFICIAL: Sensitive

Dear Oliver Smith,

Thank you for your response.

The below scope has been accepted.

Thank you.

Kind regards,

Lyn

Position Number: 60186967

Privacy, FOI & Records Management Branch | Legal Group

Department of Home Affairs

Email: [1][Department of Home Affairs request email]  

[2]Acknowledgement of Country Signature Block Graphic 2022 (2)

OFFICIAL: Sensitive

From: Oliver Smith <[FOI #12064 email]>
Sent: Tuesday, 8 October 2024 7:46 AM
To: FOI <[Department of Home Affairs request email]>
Subject: RE: FOI request FA 24/09/01061 [SEC=OFFICIAL:Sensitive]

Dear FOI,

Hi Lyn, thanks for your email and your time on this matter. Based on your
advice, if I change the scope of the request and only ask for the PDR
number and the date sent to the office there should be no problem with
Home Affairs fulfilling this request within its legislated time limits. So
please, alter this request accordingly.

Yours sincerely,

Oliver Smith

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