OFFICIAL

FOI Reference: LEX 7926

Dear Mr Norwood

Thank you for your email dated 6 May 2023 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:

“a complete copy of the departments' Freedom of Information (FOI) logs for
the period 2013-2023, including any secondary departments controlled by
the agency”

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.

Request to withdraw as document requested is publicly available:

Paragraph 2.34 of the FOI Guidelines states:

“The right of access applies to documents that exist at the time the FOI
request was made. An applicant cannot insist that their request cover
documents created after the request is received.”

We note that a complete copy of the department’s FOI logs for the period
2013 – 2023 is publicly available at
[1]https://www.dfat.gov.au/about-us/corpora....

Should you proceed with your FOI request we will provide you with access
to a copy of the publicly available record, as that is the document that
existed at the time the FOI request was made.

On this basis, please confirm by COB Friday 12 May 2023 if you would like
to proceed with your FOI request or withdraw.

Timeframe for receiving our decision:

We received your request on 6 May 2023, 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:

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:
[2]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
[3][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 [4][DFAT request 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

[5]dfat.gov.au | [6]Twitter | [7]Facebook | [8]Instagram  | [9]LinkedIn

© Kim Hill, Among Women (2011)

[10]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.

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