OFFICIAL
Dear Glenn

Thank you for your email dated 14 February 2025 seeking access to documents under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act).

This email sets out some information about how your request will be processed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (the department).

Scope of request:
You have sought access to:

(a) All correspondence between the DFAT and the Australian Government entities in relation to former Australian Ambassador John Lander since 1 January 2010.

(b) notes, summaries or records of discussions between the DFAT Secretary and former Australian Ambassador John Lander since 1 January 2010.

(c) Any submissions sent by the DFAT to the Foreign Minister or the Trade Minister in relation to former Australian Ambassador John Lander since 1 January 2010.

(d) Any submissions sent by the Foreign Minister or the Trade Minister to the DFAT in relation to former Australian Ambassador John Lander since 1 January 2010.

To assist the department in processing this request, we would be grateful if you could provide more information about this request, including the specific subject matter that it relates to.

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 14 February 2025, and the 30-day statutory period for processing your request commenced from the day after that date. A decision is currently due to you by 17 March 2025. 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:
Please note that, with some exceptions (such as personal information), documents released under the FOI Act may later be published on the department’s disclosure log.

Exclusion of officials’ names and contact details:
It is the department’s policy to withhold the personal information of junior staff from ministerial offices and government officials not in the Senior Executive Service (SES) or equivalent, including their email addresses and contact numbers, together with all signatures, mobile phone numbers, departmental inboxes and technical transmission details including reference numbers.
 
Duplicate documents and incomplete email chains:
Your request will be processed on the basis that you did not intend to capture duplicate documents or duplicate emails within email chains.

If you require the excluded information or documents, please let us know at [DFAT request email] so the decision-maker may consider; otherwise, we will take it that you agree to the information and documents 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. Further information on the way the department handles personal information is accessible via our privacy policy.

Should you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us by reply email.

Kind regards

DFAT FOI Team
_______________________________
Freedom of Information Section
Public Interest Law Branch | Regulatory and Legal Policy Division
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

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