Futher information sought regarding Document B09/1640 Assessment of Australian Contingent to GE Infrastructure for 'Indian Ocean' operation.
Dear Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet,
Please accept this request for information under the FOI Act.
On 17 November 2009, the Assistant Secretary Awards and Culture Branch, Mr Peter Rush, approved document Ref: B09/1640 titled "Humanitarian Overseas Service Medal: Assessment of Australian contingent to GE Infrastructure for ‘Indian Ocean’ operation”.
On 1 September 2020, I requested PM&C’s assessment justifying the award of the HOSM to GE Infrastructure, Water and Process Technologies Australian contingent under the FOI Act.
On 1 Dec 2020, the Assistant Secretary Parliamentary and Government Branch, Mr Rush, released a copy of the assessment. Unfortunately parts of the assessment were not included in the release.
As such we respectfully request the release of the following documents:
1. “Attachment A. Draft Response and Instrument”.
2. “Attachment B. Testimonial (s47F redacted)”.
Regarding this assessment, the first page appears to show conflicting handwritten annotations. The decision “NOT AGREED” is either crossed-out or signed and also circled. A line is drawn through “SIGNED/NOT SIGNED”, but the document appears to be signed. Hand written notes appear to direct someone to “please discuss” the document and its advice.
Taking into account that these handwritten notations do not provide an accurate conclusion as to the final decision, we would be grateful for a copy of:
3. any documents verifying the Cabinet Secretary’s decision in relation to the assessment.
4. documents/correspondence resulting from the annotation to ‘please discuss’ the assessment or recommendation.
Thank you for your time.
Kind regards
Francis Unmeopa
Thank you for your email. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
(the Department) is currently on its annual shutdown which extends from
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FOI Adviser
FOI and Privacy | Legal Policy Branch
Government Division
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
p. +61 2 6271 5849
e. [1][DPMC request email] |
[2]www.pmc.gov.au
PO Box 6500 CANBERRA ACT 2600
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OFFICIAL
FOI/2020/291
Dear Mr Unmeopa
We write in relation to your email dated 29 December 2020, and received by
the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (the Department), in
which you made a request under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (the
FOI Act) for access to the following:
On 17 November 2009, the Assistant Secretary Awards and Culture Branch, Mr
Peter Rush, approved document Ref: B09/1640 titled "Humanitarian Overseas
Service Medal: Assessment of Australian contingent to GE Infrastructure
for ‘Indian Ocean’ operation”.
On 1 September 2020, I requested PM&C’s assessment justifying the award of
the HOSM to GE Infrastructure, Water and Process Technologies Australian
contingent under the FOI Act.
On 1 Dec 2020, the Assistant Secretary Parliamentary and Government
Branch, Mr Rush, released a copy of the assessment. Unfortunately parts
of the assessment were not included in the release.
As such we respectfully request the release of the following documents:
1. “Attachment A. Draft Response and Instrument”.
2. “Attachment B. Testimonial (s47F redacted)”.
Regarding this assessment, the first page appears to show conflicting
handwritten annotations. The decision “NOT AGREED” is either crossed-out
or signed and also circled. A line is drawn through “SIGNED/NOT SIGNED”,
but the document appears to be signed. Hand written notes appear to
direct someone to “please discuss” the document and its advice.
Taking into account that these handwritten notations do not provide an
accurate conclusion as to the final decision, we would be grateful for a
copy of:
3. any documents verifying the Cabinet Secretary’s decision in
relation to the assessment.
4. documents/correspondence resulting from the annotation to
‘please discuss’ the assessment or recommendation.
Timeframe for receiving your decision
We received your request on 29 December 2020 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 28 January 2021. 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....
Yours sincerely
FOI Adviser
FOI and Privacy Section| Legal Policy Branch
Government Division | Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
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6271 5849 |
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______________________________________________________________________
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4. https://www.oaic.gov.au/freedom-of-infor...
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9. http://www.pmc.gov.au/
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OFFICIAL
FOI/2020/291
Dear Mr Unmeopa
Please find attached the decision and documents in relation to your
request under the Freedom of Information Act 1982.
Yours sincerely
FOI and Privacy Section | 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]cid:image001.jpg@01D30607.6CF4DA00[4]cid:image002.jpg@01D30607.6CF4DA00[5]cid:image003.jpg@01D30607.6CF4DA00[6]cid:image004.jpg@01D30607.6CF4DA00
[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.
______________________________________________________________________
IMPORTANT: This message, and any attachments to it, contains information
that is confidential and may also be the subject of legal professional or
other privilege. If you are not the intended recipient of this message,
you
must not review, copy, disseminate or disclose its contents to any other
party or take action in reliance of any material contained within it. If
you
have received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately
by
return email informing them of the mistake and delete all copies of the
message from your computer system.
______________________________________________________________________
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[DPMC request email]
2. http://www.pmc.gov.au/
3. https://twitter.com/pmc_gov_au
4. https://www.linkedin.com/company/departm...
5. https://twitter.com/indigenous_gov
6. https://www.facebook.com/indigenous.gov....
Dear FOI,
Thank you for agreeing to release Document 1 and Document 2 in full.
It is my belief that the full release of Document 3, minus persons names, is very much in the public interest.
Therefore , I respectfully seek your your advice on the subject.
Given that this is my 2nd FOI request in which access to Document 3 has been refused. For the purposes of seeking an Information Commissioner review, does this 2nd FOI refusal in relation to Document 3 constitute the equivalent of an internal review ?
Thanking you
Yours sincerely,
Francis Unmeopa
){kind=link}
OFFICIAL
Dear Mr Unmeopa
The decision for FOI/2020/291 was made in relation to the scope of your
request of 29 December 2020 and does not constitute an internal review of
a previous decision where the same document may also have been in scope.
Please refer to the decision letter in relation to FOI/2020/291 for your
review rights, if you are not satisfied with the decision.
Yours sincerely
FOI and Privacy Section | 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]cid:image001.jpg@01D30607.6CF4DA00[4]cid:image002.jpg@01D30607.6CF4DA00[5]cid:image003.jpg@01D30607.6CF4DA00[6]cid:image004.jpg@01D30607.6CF4DA00
[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.
-----Original Message-----
From: Francis Unmeopa <[FOI #7000 email]>
Sent: Saturday, 30 January 2021 3:38 PM
To: FOI <[email address]>
Subject: Re: FOI/2020/291 - Freedom of information - Decision
[SEC=OFFICIAL]
Dear FOI,
Thank you for agreeing to release Document 1 and Document 2 in full.
It is my belief that the full release of Document 3, minus persons names,
is very much in the public interest.
Therefore , I respectfully seek your your advice on the subject.
Given that this is my 2nd FOI request in which access to Document 3 has
been refused. For the purposes of seeking an Information Commissioner
review, does this 2nd FOI refusal in relation to Document 3 constitute the
equivalent of an internal review ?
Thanking you
Yours sincerely,
Francis Unmeopa
-----Original Message-----
OFFICIAL
FOI/2020/291
Dear Mr Unmeopa
Please find attached the decision and documents in relation to your
request under the Freedom of Information Act 1982.
Yours sincerely
FOI and Privacy Section | 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]cid:image001.jpg@01D30607.6CF4DA00[4]cid:image002.jpg@01D30607.6CF4DA00[5]cid:image003.jpg@01D30607.6CF4DA00[6]cid:image004.jpg@01D30607.6CF4DA00
[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.
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[DPMC request email]
3. https://twitter.com/pmc_gov_au
4.
https://www.linkedin.com/company/departm...
5. https://twitter.com/indigenous_gov
6. https://www.facebook.com/indigenous.gov....
-------------------------------------------------------------------
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[FOI #7000 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:
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If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web
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______________________________________________________________________
IMPORTANT: This message, and any attachments to it, contains information
that is confidential and may also be the subject of legal professional or
other privilege. If you are not the intended recipient of this message,
you
must not review, copy, disseminate or disclose its contents to any other
party or take action in reliance of any material contained within it. If
you
have received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately
by
return email informing them of the mistake and delete all copies of the
message from your computer system.
______________________________________________________________________
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[DPMC request email]
2. http://www.pmc.gov.au/
3. https://twitter.com/pmc_gov_au
4. https://www.linkedin.com/company/departm...
5. https://twitter.com/indigenous_gov
6. https://www.facebook.com/indigenous.gov....
Dear FOI,
Thank you for your quick reply and advice.
With respect , to save time do you have any objections to the matter now being referred to the Information Commissioner ?
Yours sincerely,
Francis Unmeopa
OFFICIAL
Dear Mr Unmeopa,
As the applicant, it is for your decision whether you wish to exercise your right to seek internal review or Information Commissioner (OAIC) review of an agency's decision on your FOI request.
Yours sincerely
FOI Adviser
FOI and Privacy Section| Legal Policy Branch
Government Division | Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
(02) 6271 5849
[DPMC request email]
www.pmc.gov.au
One National Circuit Barton ACT 2600 | PO Box 6500 CANBERRA ACT 2600
-----Original Message-----
From: Francis Unmeopa <[FOI #7000 email]>
Sent: Wednesday, 3 February 2021 12:13 PM
To: FOI <[email address]>
Subject: RE: FOI/2020/291 - Freedom of information - Decision [SEC=OFFICIAL]
Dear FOI,
Thank you for your quick reply and advice.
With respect , to save time do you have any objections to the matter now being referred to the Information Commissioner ?
Yours sincerely,
Francis Unmeopa
-----Original Message-----
OFFICIAL
Dear Mr Unmeopa
The decision for FOI/2020/291 was made in relation to the scope of your request of 29 December 2020 and does not constitute an internal review of a previous decision where the same document may also have been in scope.
Please refer to the decision letter in relation to FOI/2020/291 for your review rights, if you are not satisfied with the decision.
Yours sincerely
FOI and Privacy Section | 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]cid:image001.jpg@01D30607.6CF4DA00[4]cid:image002.jpg@01D30607.6CF4DA00[5]cid:image003.jpg@01D30607.6CF4DA00[6]cid:image004.jpg@01D30607.6CF4DA00
[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.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #7000 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:
https://www.righttoknow.org.au/help/offi...
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.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
______________________________________________________________________
IMPORTANT: This message, and any attachments to it, contains information
that is confidential and may also be the subject of legal professional or
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must not review, copy, disseminate or disclose its contents to any other
party or take action in reliance of any material contained within it. If you
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