OFFICIAL

Dear James,

Acknowledgement

I refer to your correspondence of 4 December 2023 seeking access to
documents held by the Department of Defence (Defence), under the Freedom
of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act). This email is to advise you that your
request has been received and allocated for Case Management.

The scope of your request is as follows:

With reference to document EC21-002242 / Directive 07/2021 disclosed in
FOI 388/23/24 (Direction), please provide:

1. Drafts of the paper "Preparing for the Future: Key Organisational
Lessons From the Afghanistan Campaign".

2. With reference to paragraph 7 of the Direction:

(a)    all notes, minutes or other correspondence from the monthly
updates; and

(b)    calendar appointments, meeting invites or diary entries for the
monthly updates, between Andrew Hocking and Angus Campbell.

3. With reference to paragraph 8 of the Direction, all correspondence,
notes, emails, or other documents (such as briefing memos, papers or
packs) prior to or after the briefing given by Andrew Hocking to the COSC
(planned to occur in November 2021, but which may have occurred at some
other time).

4.  "Letters of support" referenced in paragraph 10 of the Direction.

Timeframe

The statutory timeframe to provide you with a decision on your request
ends on 3 January 2024. This period may be extended if we need to consult
with third parties or for other reasons. We will advise you if this
happens.

Please note that where the due date falls on a Saturday, Sunday or public
holiday, the timeframe will expire on the next working day. This is in
accordance with the FOI Guidelines issued by the Office of the Australian
Information Commissioner under section 93A of the FOI Act.

Seeking extension of time by agreement

I would like to take this opportunity to advise that the Department of
Defence observes a period of reduced activity and staffing through
December and January (Christmas/New Year period) each year. Accordingly,
this office has determined that it may not be possible to finalise
your FOI request by 3 January 2024 as it falls within this reduced
activity period.

In view of the above, this office is seeking your agreement to a 30-day
extension of the statutory deadline under section 15AA [extension with
agreement] of the FOI Act. Should you agree, the statutory deadline for
you to receive a response to your request will be 2 February 2024. We will
still endeavor to complete your request as soon as possible.

It would be appreciated if you could confirm your agreement to this
extension of time by close of business 14 December 2023.

Disclaimer

Where staff details are captured in documents within the scope of your FOI
request, this information will be redacted; this includes private email
addresses, signatures, personnel (PMKeyS) numbers and mobile telephone
numbers, unless you specifically request such details. Defence excludes
duplicates of documents and any documents sent to or from you.
Furthermore, Defence only considers final versions of documents.

Charges

Defence may impose a charge for the work involved in providing access to
the documents in accordance with the Freedom of Information (Charges)
Regulations 2019. We will notify you if your request attracts a charge.
Please note that there is no charge for documents that contain the
personal information of the applicant.

Disclosure Log

Documents released under the FOI Act may be published on Defence’s
disclosure log, located on our website.

Contact Details

We will contact you via the email address you have provided. Please advise
if you would prefer us to use an alternative means of contact.

I am the Case Manager for this request. Should you have any questions
relating to your request, please do not hesitate to contact me via email:
[1][email address].

Kind regards,

Freedom of Information Team

Media and Information Disclosure Branch

Ministerial & Executive Coordination and Communication Division

Department of Defence

[2]Freedom of information requests | About | Defence

IMPORTANT: This email remains the property of the Department of Defence.
Unauthorised communication and dealing with the information in the email
may be a serious criminal offence. If you have received this email in
error, you are requested to contact the sender and delete the email
immediately.

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
2. https://www.defence.gov.au/about/accessi...

OFFICIAL

Dear James,

Please find attached the Decision and Schedule of Documents relating to
Defence FOI 517/23/24.  The documents will be provided to you momentarily.

Review Rights

If you disagree with the decision made by the Department of Defence or the
Minister under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (the FOI Act), you can
ask for the decision to be reviewed. You may want to seek review if you
sought certain documents and were not given full access, if your
application to have your personal information amended was not accepted or
your comments in response to formal consultation were not accepted.

You must apply in writing and should include a copy of the notice of the
decision provided and the points to which you are objecting and why.  You
may apply directly to the Information Commissioner, within 60 days of
receiving your decision.

Further information about the external review process or how to make a
complaint to the Information Commissioner is available:

Online: [1]www.oaic.gov.au

Post: GPO Box 5218 Sydney NSW 2000

Email: [2][email address]

Kind regards,

Freedom of Information Team

Media and Information Disclosure Branch

Ministerial & Executive Coordination and Communication Division

Department of Defence

[3]Freedom of information requests | About | Defence

IMPORTANT: This email remains the property of the Department of Defence.
Unauthorised communication and dealing with the information in the email
may be a serious criminal offence. If you have received this email in
error, you are requested to contact the sender and delete the email
immediately.

References

Visible links
1. http://www.oaic.gov.au/
2. mailto:[email address]
3. https://www.defence.gov.au/about/accessi...

OFFICIAL

Dear James,

Please find attached the Decision and documents relating to Defence FOI
517/23/24.  A schedule of documents is also attached.

FOI Disclosure Log

In accordance with the requirements of section 11C of the FOI Act, Defence
is required to publish details of information released under the FOI Act.
Defence publishes identified documents relating to finalised requests
within ten working days of receipt by the applicant. Defence will also
publish the statement of reasons with privacy deletions. 

Review Rights

If you disagree with the decision made by the Department of Defence or the
Minister under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (the FOI Act), you can
ask for the decision to be reviewed. You may want to seek review if you
sought certain documents and were not given full access, if your
application to have your personal information amended was not accepted or
your comments in response to formal consultation were not accepted.

You must apply in writing and should include a copy of the notice of the
decision provided and the points to which you are objecting and why.  You
may apply directly to the Information Commissioner, within 60 days of
receiving your decision.

Further information about the external review process or how to make a
complaint to the Information Commissioner is available:

Online: [1]www.oaic.gov.au

Post: GPO Box 5218 Sydney NSW 2000

Email: [2][email address]

Kind regards,

Freedom of Information Team

Media and Information Disclosure Branch

Ministerial & Executive Coordination and Communication Division

Department of Defence

[3]Freedom of information requests | About | Defence

IMPORTANT: This email remains the property of the Department of Defence.
Unauthorised communication and dealing with the information in the email
may be a serious criminal offence. If you have received this email in
error, you are requested to contact the sender and delete the email
immediately.

References

Visible links
1. http://www.oaic.gov.au/
2. mailto:[email address]
3. https://www.defence.gov.au/about/accessi...