Minister for Defence - Office Arrangements
Dear Department of Defence,
Consistent with the Freedom of Information Act 1982, I am seeking all correspondence since May 22nd 2022 held by the Department of Defence in relation to the provision of an office or offices for the Minister for Defence.
I am also seeking all correspondence held by the Department in relation to the provision of carparking space to the Minister for Defence at Defence facilities in Canberra.
I am not seeking drafts of the above documents.
Please let me know if you have any questions regarding this request.
Yours faithfully,
Andorra
OFFICIAL
Good morning Andorra,
I refer to your request received under the Freedom of Information Act 1982
(FOI Act) for access to:
Item 1: …all correspondence since May 22nd 2022 held by the Department of
Defence in relation to the provision of an office or offices for the
Minister for Defence.
Item 2: I am also seeking all correspondence held by the Department in
relation to the provision of carparking space to the Minister for Defence
at Defence facilities in Canberra.
I am not seeking drafts of the above documents.
Unfortunately, in its current form your request is not considered valid
under section 15(2)(b) [Requests for access] of the FOI Act as you have
not provided specific information concerning the documents as is
reasonably necessary to enable a responsible officer of the agency to
identify them.
Specifically, your request, identified as Item 1 is not clear on whether
you are seeking correspondence relating to offices provided to the
Minister for Defence within Defence establishments, parliamentary offices
or offices that may be provided in locations not on Defence facilities.
To ensure the Department of Defence (Defence) can capture the specific
information you are seeking, can you please provide clarification on the
above and whether you are seeking details on an office in a specific
location or a specific Defence facility.
In accordance with section 24AB of the FOI Act, Defence is required to
consult with you advising of the intention to refuse access to your
request in its current form.
Before the end of the 14 day consultation period you are required to
either:
a. withdraw your request
b. revise your request; or
c. indicate that you do not wish to revise your request.
Once your response is received Defence will action in accordance with the
FOI Act. Please respond by 15 December 2022 or your request will be
considered withdrawn.
I encourage you to contact me so I can assist you in moving forward with
your FOI request.
Thank you and regards,
Freedom of Information
Media and Information Disclosure Branch
Ministerial and Executive Coordination & Communication Division
Department of Defence
e: [1][email address]
w: [2]https://defence.gov.au/foi/
IMPORTANT: This email remains the property of the Department of Defence.
Unauthorised communication and dealing with the information in the email
may be a serious criminal offence. If you have received this email in
error, you are requested to contact the sender and delete the email
immediately.
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
2. https://defence.gov.au/foi/
Dear FOI,
Thank you for your email.
In relation to Item 1, I am happy to clarify and amend my request to the following:
"all correspondence since May 22nd 2022 held by the Department of Defence in relation to the provision of an office or offices *within Defence facilities in Canberra* for the Minister for Defence."
I note that you have not requested any alteration to my application outlined in Item 2, and I look forward to this application being processed.
Regards,
Andorra
OFFICIAL
Dear Andorra
I refer to your correspondence of 21 November 2022 and 5 December 2022
seeking access under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) to
documents held by the Department of Defence (Defence).
The scope of your clarified request is:
..all correspondence since May 22nd 2022 held by the Department of Defence
in relation to the provision of an office or offices within Defence
facilities in Canberra for the Minister for Defence.
I am also seeking all correspondence held by the Department in relation to
the provision of carparking space to the Minister for Defence at Defence
facilities in Canberra.
I am not seeking drafts of the above documents.
Disclaimer
Where staff details are captured in documents within the scope of your FOI
request, this information will be redacted; this includes private email
addresses, signatures, personnel (PMKeyS) numbers and mobile telephone
numbers, unless you specifically request such details. Defence excludes
duplicates of documents. If you are seeking personal details of other
individuals, please advise this office by 8 November 2022 so that the
decision maker can consider your request.
Timeframe of your request
The statutory deadline for you to receive a response to your request is 4
January 2023. Please note that Defence is subject to a stand-down period
from 24 December 2022 to 3 January 2023 (inclusive). We seek your
agreement to a 30 day extension of time under section 15AA of the FOI Act.
If you agree to the extension, the new statutory timeframe for you to
receive a decision will be 3 February 2023. I would be grateful for your
agreement of the extension via return email by 8 December 2022.
Should you have any questions relating to your request, please do not
hesitate to contact me via email to [1][email address].
Regards
Freedom of Information
Media and Information Disclosure Branch
Ministerial & Executive Coordination and Communication Division
IMPORTANT: This email remains the property of the Department of Defence.
Unauthorised communication and dealing with the information in the email
may be a serious criminal offence. If you have received this email in
error, you are requested to contact the sender and delete the email
immediately.
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
Dear FOI Case Management,
Thank you for your email and the confirmation that this application will be processed on the revised terms. I note the disclaimer provided on how the Department proposes to process the application and confirm that I have no concerns with those limitations.
I also note your request to an extension for the processing of this request due to the Department being subject to a stand-down period between 24 December 2022 and 3 January 2023 (inclusive). However, I do not agree to a 30 day extension.
I will agree to an extension of seven business days, which accounts for the lost time for the Department due to the stand-down period. This will extend the due date to Friday 13th January.
Please confirm as soon as possible that this extension has been confirmed.
Regards,
Andorra
OFFICIAL
Dear Andorra
Thank you for your email.
I confirm the statutory deadline for you to receive a response has been amended to 13 January 2023.
Thank you and regards
Freedom of Information
Media and Information Disclosure Branch
Ministerial & Executive Coordination and Communication Division
Email: [email address]
IMPORTANT: This email remains the property of the Department of Defence. Unauthorised communication and dealing with the information in the email may be a serious criminal offence. If you have received this email in error, you are requested to contact the sender and delete the email immediately.
Good morning Andorra
I refer to Defence FOI request 288/22/23.
Your request covers documents which contain business information of a
third party.
Defence has determined that there is requirement to consult the third
party under section 27 of the FOI Act, before making a decision on the
release of the documents. Section 15(6) of the FOI Act provides for an
extension of 30 days to be added to the statutory time limit for
processing requests. Therefore, the deadline for providing you with the
decision on your request is now 12 February 2023, however will endeavour
to process your request as soon as we can.
Should you have any questions relating to your request, please do not
hesitate to contact our office via email to
[1][email address].
Thank you and regards
Freedom of Information
Media and Information Disclosure Branch
Ministerial & Executive Coordination and Communication Division
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
OFFICIAL
Dear Andorra Loom
Please find attached the decision and documents relating to Defence FOI
288/22/23. A schedule of documents is also attached.
FOI Disclosure Log
In accordance with the requirements of section 11C of the FOI Act, Defence
is required to publish details of information released under the FOI Act.
Defence publishes identified documents relating to finalised requests
within ten working days of receipt by the applicant. Defence will also
publish the statement of reasons with privacy deletions.
Under section 54 of the FOI Act, you are entitled to request a review of
this decision. Your review rights are attached.
Please contact this office should you require any further information.
Regards
Carolyn
Assistant Director Freedom of Information
Media and Information Disclosure Branch
Ministerial & Executive Coordination and Communication Division
Tel: 02 6266 2578
IMPORTANT: This email remains the property of the Department of Defence.
Unauthorised communication and dealing with the information in the email
may be a serious criminal offence. If you have received this email in
error, you are requested to contact the sender and delete the email
immediately.