FOI Request: LEX5728

Dear Ali Anwar

Thank you for your email of 12 June 2022 seeking access to documents under
the Freedom of Information Act 1982. This email sets out some information
about how your request will be processed by the Department of Foreign
Affairs and Trade.

Scope of request:

You have sought access to:

“In 2005, the Israeli government attempted to appoint an Arie Scher, who
had previously needed to leave his post in Brazil in a hurry, to the post
of Israeli Consul in Canberra.

I am seeking all DFAT internal documents and communications from between
January 2004 and December 2007 related to Scher. Typically, the man's name
is transliterated to our language as 'Arie Scher' or 'Aryeh Scher'.”

If it emerges that the scope of your request is unclear or is too large
for processing, the department will contact you to discuss re-scoping the
request.

Timeframe for receiving our decision:

We received your request on 12 June 2022, and the 30-day statutory period
for processing your request commenced from the day after that date. The
period of 30 days may be extended in certain circumstances. 

Charges:

Please note that the Department may issue charges for processing FOI
requests.  If applicable, we will advise you of any relevant charges when
we are in a position to estimate the resources required to process your
request.

Disclosure log:

With some exceptions (such as personal information), documents released
under the FOI Act may later be published on the department’s disclosure
log:
[1]https://www.dfat.gov.au/about-us/corpora....

Exclusion of officials’ names and contact details:

It is the Department’s policy to withhold the mobile numbers of all
government officials, and the names and contact details of government
officials not in the Senior Executive Service (SES) or equivalent.  If you
require the mobile numbers of all government officials, or the names and
contact details of non-SES officials, please let us know at
[2][DFAT 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:

If we need to consult with other people or organisations regarding your
FOI request, we may need to disclose your personal information (e.g. your
name).  When we consult it may be apparent that you have made a request,
even if we do not disclose your identity.  Please let us know if you have
any concerns in this regard.  The Department’s privacy policy is available
at dfat.gov.au/privacy.html.

Should you require any further information, please do not hesitate to
contact us by return e-mail at [3][DFAT request email]

Kind regards,

DFAT FOI Team

Freedom of Information and Privacy Law Section
Legal Division | Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
[4]DFAT.GOV.AU | [5]Twitter | [6]Facebook | [7]Flickr | [8]YouTube

-----Original Message-----
From: A. Anwar <[9][FOI #9013 email]>
Sent: Sunday, 12 June 2022 10:17 AM
To: FOI <[10][DFAT request email]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Freedom of Information request - DFAT communications

******

CAUTION: This email originated from outside the organisation. Do not click
links or open attachments unless you recognise the sender.

******

Dear DFAT,

In 2005, the Israeli government attempted to appoint an Arie Scher, who
had previously needed to leave his post in Brazil in a hurry, to the post
of Israeli Consul in Canberra.

I am seeking all DFAT internal documents and communications from between
January 2004 and December 2007 related to Scher. Typically, the man's name
is transliterated to our language as 'Arie Scher' or 'Aryeh Scher'.

Kind regards,

Ali Anwar

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Please use this email address for all replies to this request:

[11][FOI #9013 email]

Is [12][DFAT request email] the wrong address for Freedom of Information
requests to Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade? If so, please contact
us using this form:

[13]https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlo...

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:

[14]https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlo...

Please note that in some cases publication of requests and responses will
be delayed.

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.

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References

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OFFICIAL
Dear Ali

Please see attached decision and documents related to your recent freedom of information request.

Kind Regards

James
Freedom of Information and Privacy Law Section
Legal Division
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
www.dfat.gov.au
Web | Twitter | YouTube | Flickr
This email and any attachments may contain confidential information or legal advice over which legal professional privilege can be claimed. Such privilege is not waived and you should ensure that, in your handling of the advice, you avoid waiving privilege. Please consult the author of the advice if unsure about appropriate handling.

OFFICIAL

FOI ref: LEX6026

Dear Mr Anwar

Thank you for your email dated 7 August 2022 seeking internal review of
the department’s original decision under the Freedom of Information Act
1982 in LEX5728.

A new decision-maker will be appointed to undertake an internal review of
the original decision. You can expect to receive the internal review
decision by 6 September 2022. 

Should you require any further information, please do not hesitate to
contact us by return email at [1][DFAT request email].

Regards

DFAT FOI Team

Freedom of Information and Privacy Law Section
Legal Division | Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
[2]DFAT.GOV.AU | [3]Twitter | [4]Facebook | [5]Flickr | [6]YouTube

-----Original Message-----
From: A. Anwar <[FOI #9013 email]>
Sent: Sunday, 7 August 2022 12:31 PM
To: FOI <[DFAT request email]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Internal review of Freedom of Information request -
DFAT communications

******

CAUTION: This email originated from outside the organisation. Do not click
links or open attachments unless you recognise the sender.

******

Dear Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade,

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information
reviews.

I am writing to request an internal review of Department of Foreign
Affairs and Trade's handling of my FOI request 'DFAT communications'.

I have no objections to the decision to suppress the names of officials
involved in handling the Scher affair.

However, I have trouble following the suggestion that it would cause a
substantial adverse effect on the proper and efficient conduct of the
operations of DFAT to disclose- anonymized- internal communications
regarding the attempt of the Israeli Foreign Ministry to bring in a
pedophile as a diplomatic officer.

If DFAT officials were discussing an effort to push back against the
effort to impose Scher on the Australian people, then that can only
demonstrate the good functioning of DFAT, and their commitment to
protecting the Australian people. On the other hand, if there were DFAT
officials who advocated in favor of letting in this pedophile and giving
him diplomatic immunity, then that is something that is clearly in the
public interest to know.

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on
the Internet at this address:
[7]https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlo...

Yours faithfully,

A. Anwar

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Please use this email address for all replies to this request:

[8][FOI #9013 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:

[9]https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlo...

Please note that in some cases publication of requests and responses will
be delayed.

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.

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

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[DFAT request email]
2. http://dfat.gov.au/pages/default.aspx
3. https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlo...
4. https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlo...
5. https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlo...
6. https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlo...
7. https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlo...
8. mailto:[FOI #9013 email]
9. https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlo...

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OFFICIAL

FOI ref: LEX6026

Dear Mr Anwar

Please find attached correspondence regarding the outcome of your FOI
internal review request.

Regards

DFAT FOI Team

_______________________________
FOI and Privacy Law
Information Disclosure Services and Corporate Law Branch | Legal Division

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

[1]dfat.gov.au | [2]Twitter | [3]Facebook | [4]Instagram  | [5]LinkedIn

© Kim Hill, Among Women (2011)

[6]We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout
Australia, and their continuing connection to land, waters and community.
We pay our respects to all First Nations peoples, their cultures and to
their Elders, past, present and emerging.

References

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