Communication with UNHCR regarding US refugee resettlement deal

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Information updated 30 September 2016

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References

FA 16 11 01184 Acknowledgement Letter 2.pdf

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Our references: FA 16/11/01184; ADF2016/70178

Dear Mr Hirsch

Please find attached the acknowledgement of receipt for your recent FOI
Request.

Request for an extension of time

Please be aware that the Department has seen a significant increase in the
number of FOI requests received. As a result there are expected delays
involved with the processing of FOI requests at the present time.
Generally, requests will be processed in the order that they are received.
The Department will endeavour to finalise your request as quickly as
possible.

For this reason 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.

It would assist the Department in managing its FOI caseload if you could
provide a response to this request by close of business, Wednesday 23
November 2016.

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.

Please do not hesitate to contact me should you wish to discuss.

Yours sincerely

FOI Officer

Freedom of Information Section

Information Management Branch | Corporate Services Division

Corporate Group

Department of Immigration and Border Protection
E: [1][email address]

Important Notice: The content of this email is intended only for use by
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Any review, retransmission, dissemination or other use of this information
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UNCLASSIFIED

Good morning Mr Hirsch

We acknowledge your below email agreeing to the extension of time. This is taken to be an agreement (under s.15AA of the FOI Act) to extend the timeframe for the processing of your request by 30 days. Therefore, the due date for processing your request is Friday, 13 January 2017.

We will continue to progress your request.

Yours sincerely

FOI Officer
Freedom of Information Section
Information Management Branch | Corporate Services Division Corporate Group Department of Immigration and Border Protection
E: [email address]

-----Original Message-----
From: Asher Hirsch [mailto:[FOI #2703 email]]
Sent: Tuesday, 22 November 2016 8:29 AM
To: FOI
Subject: Re: FOI Request - FA 16/11/01184 [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]

Dear FOI,

I will approve the 30 day extension.

Yours sincerely,

Asher Hirsch

-----Original Message-----

Our references: FA 16/11/01184; ADF2016/70178

Dear Mr Hirsch

Please find attached the acknowledgement of receipt for your recent FOI Request.

Request for an extension of time

Please be aware that the Department has seen a significant increase in the number of FOI requests received. As a result there are expected delays involved with the processing of FOI requests at the present time.
Generally, requests will be processed in the order that they are received.
The Department will endeavour to finalise your request as quickly as possible.

For this reason 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.

It would assist the Department in managing its FOI caseload if you could provide a response to this request by close of business, Wednesday 23 November 2016.

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.

Please do not hesitate to contact me should you wish to discuss.

Yours sincerely

FOI Officer

Freedom of Information Section

Information Management Branch | Corporate Services Division

Corporate Group

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

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

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1. mailto:[DIBP request email]

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Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #2703 email]

This request has been made by an individual using Right to Know. This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. More information on how Right to Know works can be found at:
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UNCLASSIFIED

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FOI FA 16 11 01170 practical refusal notice.pdf

114K Download View as HTML

UNCLASSIFIED

Our references: FA 16/11/01170; ADF2016/70137

Dear Mr Hirsch,

This email refers to your FOI request received on 14 November 2016,
seeking access to:

All communication between the Department and United States officials
regarding the US refugee resettlement deal which was announced on 13
November 2016.

The purpose of this email is to advise you, as required under s.24AB of
the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) that I consider a practical
refusal reason exists under s.24AA of the FOI Act in relation to your
request. I have set out my reasons and the actions required by you (to
consult on the scope of your request) in the attached notice.

The current due date for your FOI request is 13 January 2017. In
accordance with s.24AB(8) of the FOI Act the legislated processing time
for your request is suspended during the consultation period. Please refer
to the attached notice for further details.

The FOI Act requires that you respond to this notice before the end of the
consultation period, which is close of business Tuesday 20 December 2016.
You may consult with me by replying to this email: [1][email address]

Yours Sincerely,

Brad Collins
Freedom of Information Officer

Information Management Branch

Department of Immigration and Border Protection
(02) 6264 2110 | [2][email address]

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

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1. mailto:[email address]
2. mailto:[email address]

FOI FA 16 11 01184 practical refusal notice.pdf

114K Download View as HTML

UNCLASSIFIED

Our references: FA 16/11/01184; ADF2016/70178

Dear Mr Hirsch,

This email refers to your FOI request received on 14 November 2016,
seeking access to:

All communication between the Department and the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees regarding the US refugee resettlement deal which
was announced on 13 November 2016.

The purpose of this email is to advise you, as required under s.24AB of
the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) that I consider a practical
refusal reason exists under s.24AA of the FOI Act in relation to your
request. I have set out my reasons and the actions required by you (to
consult on the scope of your request) in the attached notice.

The current due date for your FOI request is 13 January 2017. In
accordance with s.24AB(8) of the FOI Act the legislated processing time
for your request is suspended during the consultation period. Please refer
to the attached notice for further details.

The FOI Act requires that you respond to this notice before the end of the
consultation period, which is close of business Tuesday 20 December 2016.
You may consult with me by replying to this email: [1][email address]

Yours Sincerely,

Brad Collins
Freedom of Information Officer

Information Management Branch

Department of Immigration and Border Protection
(02) 6264 2110 | [2][email address]

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

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2. mailto:[email address]

UNCLASSIFIED

Dear Mr Hirsch,

Thanks for your email. At the moment, the main obstacles in processing your request are not primarily about time frames, but more that the documents requested relate to a project so large that they are held by dozens of different business areas. While I provided you an initial estimate of our holdings in the notice, this was based on preliminary enquiries, and realistically I would expect our actual holdings to be several times larger than this.

When considering these requests, I think it would be worth you considering the sensitivities that would likely be held within the documents, and how much information you would realistically expect to receive. Given that you've requested documents relating to an ongoing arrangement between three Governments, without pre-empting a decision, I would suggest that any documents are likely to be heavily redacted under sections 33 (international relations), 34 (Cabinet), 42 (legal professional privilege), 45 (material obtained in confidence), and likely more.

It's also worth considering that, even if few or no documents are ultimately released, we still need to undertake a significant amount of work to assess the documents to reach that point, and this will be reflected in the consideration of whether your requests are an unreasonable diversion of Departmental resources.

Regards,

Brad Collins
Freedom of Information Officer
Information Management Branch
Department of Immigration and Border Protection [email address]

-----Original Message-----
From: Asher Hirsch [mailto:[FOI #2703 email]]
Sent: Tuesday, 6 December 2016 8:51 PM
To: FOI
Subject: Re: Notice under s.24AB of FOI Act – FA 16/11/01184 [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]

Dear FOI,

Would amending the request to only documents and communications between 1 November 2016 to 30 November 2016 sufficiently limit the request? If so, I am happy to revise my request to documents within this date range.

Yours sincerely,

Asher Hirsch

-----Original Message-----

UNCLASSIFIED

Our references: FA 16/11/01184; ADF2016/70178

Dear Mr Hirsch,

This email refers to your FOI request received on 14 November 2016, seeking access to:

All communication between the Department and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees regarding the US refugee resettlement deal which was announced on 13 November 2016.

The purpose of this email is to advise you, as required under s.24AB of the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) that I consider a practical refusal reason exists under s.24AA of the FOI Act in relation to your request. I have set out my reasons and the actions required by you (to consult on the scope of your request) in the attached notice.

The current due date for your FOI request is 13 January 2017. In accordance with s.24AB(8) of the FOI Act the legislated processing time for your request is suspended during the consultation period. Please refer to the attached notice for further details.

The FOI Act requires that you respond to this notice before the end of the consultation period, which is close of business Tuesday 20 December 2016.
You may consult with me by replying to this email: [1][email address]

Yours Sincerely,

Brad Collins
Freedom of Information Officer

Information Management Branch

Department of Immigration and Border Protection
(02) 6264 2110 | [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. 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]
2. mailto:[DIBP request email]

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #2703 email]

This request has been made by an individual using Right to Know. This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. More information on how Right to Know works can be found at:
https://www.righttoknow.org.au/help/offi...

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

UNCLASSIFIED

hide quoted sections

FOI FA 16 11 01184 deemed withdrawal notice.pdf

97K Download View as HTML

UNCLASSIFIED

Our references: FA 16/11/01184; ADF2016/70178

Dear Mr Hirsch,

Thank you for your FOI request received on 14 November 2016 for:

All communication between the Department and the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees regarding the US refugee resettlement deal which
was announced on 13 November 2016.

I am writing to you about the s.24AB notice that I sent to you on 6
December 2016. The consultation period under the FOI Act expired at close
of business on 20 December 2016. As you did not respond to me by the end
of the consultation period, your request is deemed to have been withdrawn
by the operation of the FOI Act (s.24AB (6) and (7)). The attached letter
provides more detail.

Regards,

Brad Collins
Freedom of Information Officer

Information Management Branch

Department of Immigration and Border Protection
[1][email address]

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 FA 16 11 01170 deemed withdrawal notice.pdf

96K Download View as HTML

UNCLASSIFIED

Our references: FA 16/11/01170; ADF2016/70137

Dear Mr Hirsch,

Thank you for your FOI request received on 14 November 2016 for:

All communication between the Department and United States officials
regarding the US refugee resettlement deal which was announced on 13
November 2016.

I am writing to you about the s.24AB notice that I sent to you on 6
December 2016. The consultation period under the FOI Act expired at close
of business on 20 December 2016. As you did not respond to me by the end
of the consultation period, your request is deemed to have been withdrawn
by the operation of the FOI Act (s.24AB (6) and (7)). The attached letter
provides more detail.

Regards,

Brad Collins
Freedom of Information Officer

Information Management Branch

Department of Immigration and Border Protection
[1][email address]

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

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1. mailto:[email address]

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