declasified intelligence prior to 2006 Fiji Coup
Dear Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade,
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am seeking any available declassified Australian intelligence assessments from the lead up period to the 2006 Fiji coup d'etat. I need this information for a research assignment on the intelligence effectiveness related to that coup, for a university assignment. (I am studying toward a Masters Degree in Policing, Intelligence and Counter Terrorism.) Any help you can give me would be gratefully received.
Yours faithfully,
James Lukac
UNCLASSIFIED
Dear Mr Lukac,
Thank you for your below e-mail. As only the originating agencies have the authority to declassify intelligence reports outside the Archives Act, DFAT does not hold the documents which you seek.
Please also note in this regard section 7 of the FOI Act, which provides that:
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 1982 - SECT 7 Exemption of certain persons and bodies
(1) The bodies specified in Division 1 of Part I of Schedule 2, and a person holding and performing the duties of an office specified in that Division, are to be deemed not to be prescribed authorities for the purposes of this Act.
(1A) For the purposes of the definition of agency , a part of the Department of Defence specified in Division 2 of Part I of Schedule 2:
(a) is taken not to be included in the Department of Defence (or in any other Department) for the purposes of this Act; and
(b) to avoid doubt, is not an agency in its own right for the purposes of this Act.
(2) The persons, bodies and Departments specified in Part II of Schedule 2 are exempt from the operation of this Act in relation to the documents referred to in that Schedule in relation to them.
(2AA) A body corporate established by or under an Act specified in Part III of Schedule 2 is exempt from the operation of this Act in relation to documents in respect of the commercial activities of the body corporate.
(2A) An agency is exempt from the operation of this Act in relation to the following documents:
(a) a document (an intelligence agency document ) that has originated with, or has been received from, any of the following:
(i) the Australian Secret Intelligence Service;
(ii) the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation;
(iii) the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security;
(iv) the Office of National Assessments;
(v) the Australian Geospatial-Intelligence Organisation;
(vi) the Defence Intelligence Organisation;
(vii) the Australian Signals Directorate
(b) a document that contains a summary of, or an extract or information from, an intelligence agency document, to the extent that it contains such a summary, extract or information.
Yours sincerely,
DFAT FOI Team.
Dear FOI,
Thankyou very much for your efforts and advice. I will request further information from the places you suggested.
Yours sincerely,
James Lukac