UNCLASSIFIED

Dear Ms Norton

Thank you for your email dated 28 February 2016 in which you seek access under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 to:

“Documents recording communication between Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop and New Zealand Prime Minister John Key between 1/9/15 and 1/11/15 regarding the deportation of New Zealand citizens in detention.”

Searches are now being undertaken in relevant areas of the Department for documents relevant to your request. I will contact you again once the searches have been completed.

Timeframe for receiving your decision:
We received your request on 28 February and the 30 day statutory period for processing your request commenced from today. You should therefore expect a decision from us by 30 March 2016. The period of 30 days may be extended in certain circumstances. We will advise you if there is any extension of time.

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.

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). 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.

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, I 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.

Personal Information:
Your personal information has been collected by the Department as a result of your correspondence, and will be used in order to process your FOI request. Your personal information is protected by law, including the Privacy Act 1988. The Department’s privacy policy is available at dfat.gov.au/privacy.html and contains information about access to or correction of your personal information, and how you may complain about a breach of your privacy.

Please note that if we need to consult with other people regarding release of the documents you have requested, we may need to disclose your personal information. When we consult with other people about a request you have made, it may be apparent to those people that you have made a request, even if we do not disclose your identity. If you have concerns about the Department consulting with other people about your request, please let us know your concerns.

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

Please note a copy of this email has been sent to Ms Marie-Charlotte McKenna, Director, Freedom of Information and Privacy Law Section, for her information.

Yours sincerely

DFAT FOI TEAM

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UNCLASSIFIED
 
Dear Ms Norton
 
I refer to your request of 28 February 2016 seeking access under the
Freedom of Information Act 1982 to:
 
“documents recording communication between Australian Foreign Affairs
Minister Julie Bishop and New Zealand Prime Minister John Key between
1/9/15 and 1/11/15 regarding the deportation of New Zealand citizens in
detention.”
 
I am writing to seek your agreement to extend the statutory timeframe for
processing the above request by 30 days. If granted, I confirm that the
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) will endeavour to provide
you with a decision by 29 April 2016.  This extension is required as we
have had to task our Posts overseas to conduct document searches.
 
If you agree to the extension, I would be grateful if you could confirm
this by return email. Should you require any further information, please
do not hesitate to contact us by return email.
 
Please note a copy of this email has been sent to Marie-Charlotte McKenna,
Director, Freedom of Information and Privacy Law Section, for her
information.
 
Yours sincerely
 
 
DFAT FOI TEAM
(02) 6261 1111
 

UNCLASSIFIED

Dear Ms Norton

Thank you for agreeing to extend the time for the processing of your FOI request. We will notify the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner of the revised due date.

Kind regards

DFAT FOI TEAM
(02) 6261 1111

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UNCLASSIFIED
 
Dear Ms Norton
 
Please find attached correspondence outlining the charges associated with
the processing of your FOI request.
 
Kind regards
 
DFAT FOI TEAM