UNCLASSIFIED

Dear Mr Hirsch

Re: Freedom of Information (FOI) Request

Thank you for your e-mail dated 4 July 2017 in which you seek access under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 to:

“documents and correspondence between the Department and the Government of Indonesia (and its agencies) regarding Indonesian minors who were jailed in adult prisons in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth between 2008 and 2012 for crewing asylum seeker boats”.

This e-mail sets out some information about how your request will be processed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Searches are now being undertaken in relevant areas of the Department for documents relevant to your request.

Scope of request:
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 4 July 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 4 August 2017. The period of 30 days may be extended in certain circumstances. We will advise you if any extension of time is required.

Charges:
Please note that the Department issues charges for processing FOI requests. We will advise you of these charges when we are in a position to estimate the resources required to process your request.

Timing of release:
As the subject matter of your request will require DFAT to upload any documents released to you to the Department’s FOI Disclosure Log, we take this opportunity to advise you that the Department’s policy is to upload documents to the disclosure log on the same day as the documents are released to you.

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 [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 [DFAT request email].

Yours sincerely

FOI TEAM
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

-----Original Message-----
From: Asher Hirsch [mailto:[FOI #3709 email]]
Sent: Tuesday, 4 July 2017 2:56 PM
To: FOI <[DFAT request email]>
Subject: Freedom of Information request - Indonesian Minors jailed in Australian Adult Prisons

Dear Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade,

Under the Freedom of Information Act I request the following documents:

Please provide documents and correspondence between the Department and the Government of Indonesia (and its agencies) regarding Indonesian minors who were jailed in adult prisons in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth between 2008 and 2012 for crewing asylum seeker boats.

Yours faithfully,

Asher Hirsch

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Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #3709 email]

Is [DFAT request email] the wrong address for Freedom of Information requests to Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade? If so, please contact us using this form:
https://www.righttoknow.org.au/change_re...

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.

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UNCLASSIFIED

Dear Mr Hirsch

Please find attached a letter outlining the charges associated with the processing of your current FOI request.

Regards,

FOI TEAM
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

UNCLASSIFIED

Dear Mr Hirsch

Please find attached the Department's response to your request for a waiver of the processing charges associated with your FOI request.

Regards,

DFAT FOI TEAM

-----Original Message-----
From: Asher Hirsch [mailto:[FOI #3709 email]]
Sent: Tuesday, 18 July 2017 4:56 PM
To: FOI <[DFAT request email]>
Subject: Re: FOI Processing Charges [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]

Dear FOI,

Thank you for your letter requesting a payment of $127.20 for this FOI request. I appreciate the prompt response.

I request that that the fee be waived under s 29(5)(b) of the FOI Act. I believe these documents are in the public interest. Australia's border protection laws and policies have received significant public attention. Likewise, the jailing of Indonesian minors charged with people smuggling is also of particular interest to the public.

For example, the issue requested in this FOI has received media attention in a recent ABC article:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-02-23/in...

I believe this issue to be in the public interest and as such request that the fees are waived.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Kind regards,

Yours sincerely,

Asher Hirsch

-----Original Message-----

UNCLASSIFIED

Dear Mr Hirsch

Please find attached a letter outlining the charges associated with the processing of your current FOI request.

Regards,

FOI TEAM
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

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Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #3709 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.

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