Documents related to gifts from President of United States received by the Prime Minister and his wife while on an official visit to the USA in September 2019

Richard Smith made this Freedom of Information request to Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet

This request has been closed to new correspondence from the public body. Contact us if you think it ought be re-opened.

The request was successful.

Dear Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet,

In September 2019, The Honorable, The Prime Minster, Scott Morrison MP visited the United States on an official visit to represent Australia.

The Prime Minister received several gifts from the President of the United States and the First Lady, on behalf of the United States Government, including:

- a "model of US Navy's ship USS Canberra and a piece of aluminium offcut from hull construction";

- a "framed map of the Battle of the Coral Sea";

- a "leather-bound photo album embossed with 23-karat gold": and

- a "Tiffany pewter revere bowl engraved with the US Presidential Seal and signatures of the US President and the First Lady".

The Prime Minister's wife also received a "Tiffany silver and gold infinity cuff".

Accordingly, I hereby request the following Government Information documents which I consider to be of great public importance:

a) Documents recording these gifts on a register or database as property of the Commonwealth of Australia;

b) Documents relating to insurance the Commonwealth has taken over these gifts; and

c) Documents relating to the location where these gifts are currently being stored.

If this can be answered as informal request, please do so.

Otherwise, please proceed with this as a formal request under the Freedom of Information principles & framework, i.e. the Freedom of Information Act 1982 & other associated guidelines and regulations.

Yours faithfully,

Richard Smith

FOI, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet

1 Attachment

OFFICIAL

 

FOI/2019/305

 

Dear Mr Smith

 

Thank you for your email dated 16 October 2019 to the Department of the
Prime Minister and Cabinet (the Department), in which you made a request
to the Department under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (the FOI Act)
in the following terms:

 

In September 2019, The Honorable, The Prime Minster, Scott Morrison MP
visited the United States on an official visit to represent Australia.

 

The Prime Minister received several gifts from the President of the United
States and the First Lady, on behalf of the United States Government,
including:

 

- a "model of US Navy's ship USS Canberra and a piece of aluminium offcut
from hull construction";

 

- a "framed map of the Battle of the Coral Sea";

 

- a "leather-bound photo album embossed with 23-karat gold": and

 

- a "Tiffany pewter revere bowl engraved with the US Presidential Seal and
signatures of the US President and the First Lady".

 

The Prime Minister's wife also received a "Tiffany silver and gold
infinity cuff".

 

Accordingly, I hereby request the following Government Information
documents which I consider to be of great public importance:

 

a) Documents recording these gifts on a register or database as property
of the Commonwealth of Australia;

 

b) Documents relating to insurance the Commonwealth has taken over these
gifts; and

 

c) Documents relating to the location where these gifts are currently
being stored.

 

If this can be answered as informal request, please do so.

 

Otherwise, please proceed with this as a formal request under the Freedom
of Information principles & framework, i.e. the Freedom of Information Act
1982 & other associated guidelines and regulations.

 

Timeframe for receiving your decision

 

The Department received your request on 16 October 2019 and the 30-day
statutory period for processing your request commenced from the day after
that date. You should therefore expect a decision from us by 15 November
2019. The period of 30 days may be extended in certain circumstances. We
will advise you if there is any extension of time.

 

Charges

 

Agencies may decide that an applicant is liable to pay a charge in respect
of a request for access to documents. If the Department decides that you
are liable to pay a charge, we will send you a preliminary assessment of
the charge as soon as possible.

 

Publication of documents

 

Please note that information released under the FOI Act may later be
published online on our disclosure log at
[1]https://www.pmc.gov.au/government/depart... ,
subject to certain exceptions. If you think you might wish to raise any
objections to the publication of any of the information which may be
released to you please contact us by email at [2][DPMC request email]. If you do
wish to object to the publication of information, you would need to
provide supporting reasons.

 

Exclusion of officers’ names and contact details

 

For documents that fall within scope of the request, it is the
Department’s policy to withhold:

·         any person’s signature;

·         the names and contact details of Australian Public Service
officers not in the Senior Executive Service (SES);

·         the mobile or direct numbers of SES officers;

·         the names and contact details of Ministerial staff at a level
below Chief of Staff.

 

The names and other details of SES officers will not be withheld unless
there is some reason for that information to be exempt from release. If
you require signatures, the names and contact details of non-SES officers
or Ministerial staff below the level of Chief of Staff, or the mobile or
direct numbers of SES officers please let us know at [3][DPMC 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 (that
is, the information will be treated as irrelevant and redacted from any
documents for release).

 

We will write again when the Department has more information. Further
information on FOI processing can be found at the website of the Office of
the Australian Information Commissioner at
[4]https://www.oaic.gov.au/freedom-of-infor... .

 

Sincerely

 

FOI Adviser

FOI and Privacy | Legal Policy Branch

Government Division | Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet

p. (02) 6271 5849

e. [5][DPMC request email] | w. [6]www.pmc.gov.au

One National Circuit Barton ACT 2600 | PO Box 6500 CANBERRA ACT 2600

 

[7]Title: Reconcilation branding and acknowledgment: The Department
acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia
and their continuing connections to the land, waters and community. We pay
respect to their Cultures, Country and Elders both past and present. -
Description: Reconcilation branding and acknowledgment: The Department
acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia
and their continuing connections to the land, waters and community. We pay
respect to their Cultures, Country and Elders both past and present.

 

 

 

 

show quoted sections

References

Visible links
1. https://www.pmc.gov.au/government/depart...
2. mailto:[DPMC request email]
3. mailto:[DPMC request email]
4. https://www.oaic.gov.au/freedom-of-infor...
5. mailto:[DPMC request email]
6. http://www.pmc.gov.au/

Dear FOI Advisor,

Thank you for your reply of 28 October.

Regarding the Department's request to follow it's internal policy of excluding Departmental officer's personal names and contact details, while I recognise that this is a restriction to release of FOI documents over and above the requirements set out in the Act, on consideration of the Government Information subject to this request, I do not object to the Department's adherence to its internal policy.

I will however raise an objection, if the reason for not releasing any documents identified to be in the scope of my request for Government Information solely rests on the fact that they contain names and contact details of public service officers.

I look forward to receiving your response.

Yours sincerely,

Richard Smith

FOI, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet

2 Attachments

OFFICIAL

 

Dear Mr Smith

 

Please find attached the decision in response to the request you made to
the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet under the Freedom of
Information Act 1982.

 

Sincerely

 

FOI Adviser

FOI and Privacy | Legal Policy Branch

Government Division | Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet

p. (02) 6271 5849

e. [1][DPMC request email] | w. [2]www.pmc.gov.au

One National Circuit Barton ACT 2600 | PO Box 6500 CANBERRA ACT 2600

 

[3]Title: Reconcilation branding and acknowledgment: The Department
acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia
and their continuing connections to the land, waters and community. We pay
respect to their Cultures, Country and Elders both past and present. -
Description: Reconcilation branding and acknowledgment: The Department
acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia
and their continuing connections to the land, waters and community. We pay
respect to their Cultures, Country and Elders both past and present.

 

 

 

show quoted sections

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[DPMC request email]
2. http://www.pmc.gov.au/

Dear Ms Green,

RE: FOI/2019/305

Thank you for your reply of 15 November 2019.

I have reviewed the enclosed Decision Letter and the released documents and I believe you have answered my questions satisfactorily.

Thank you for your prompt action. Your efforts in addressing my FOI request serves as a good example of efficient practice and it is a credit to you and the Australian Public Service.

Yours sincerely,

Richard Smith