OFFICIAL

Dear John

 

Acknowledgement

I refer to your correspondence of 18 December 2024, seeking access to
documents held by the Department of Defence (Defence), under the Freedom
of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act). This email is to advise you that your
request has been received and allocated for Case Management.

 

The scope of your request is:

 

…the Decision Brief which relates to ADF social media and the decision to
remove the 1JPAU social media and associated presence (YouTube and
Instagram).

 

Timeframe and Request for Extension

The statutory timeframe to provide you with a decision on your request
ends on 17 January 2025. This period may be extended if we need to consult
with third parties, or for other reasons. We will advise you if this
happens.

 

Please note that Defence is subject to a reduced work period during
December and January. Therefore, we are seeking 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 to provide you with a decision will
end on 16 February 2025. 

 

It would be much appreciated if you could confirm your agreement to this
extension of time via e-mail by 5:00pm 23 December 2024.

 

Please note that where the due date falls on a Saturday, Sunday or public
holiday, the timeframe will expire on the next working day. This is in
accordance with the FOI Guidelines issued by the Office of the Australian
Information Commissioner under section 93A of the FOI Act.

 

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 and any documents sent to or from you.
Furthermore, Defence only considers final versions of documents.

 

Charges

Defence may impose a charge for the work involved in providing access to
the documents in accordance with the Freedom of Information (Charges)
Regulations 2019. We will notify you if your request attracts a charge.
Please note that there is no charge for documents that contain the
personal information of the applicant.

 

Disclosure Log

Documents released under the FOI Act may be published on Defence’s
disclosure log, located on our website.

 

Contact Details

We will contact you via the email address you have provided. Please advise
if you would prefer us to use an alternative means of contact.

 

Should you have any questions relating to your request, please do not
hesitate to contact me via email: [1][email address].

 

Kind regards

 

Freedom of Information Team

Media and Information Disclosure Branch

Ministerial & Executive Coordination and Communication Division

Department of Defence

 

[2]Freedom of information requests | About | Defence

 

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://www.defence.gov.au/about/accessi...

OFFICIAL

Dear John

 

Please find attached the Decision relating to Defence FOI 493/24/25. 

 

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

 

Freedom of Information Team

Media and Information Disclosure Branch

Ministerial & Executive Coordination and Communication Division

Department of Defence

 

[1]Freedom of information requests | About | Defence

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. https://www.defence.gov.au/about/accessi...

OFFICIAL

Good morning Mr Davis,

 

Thank you for your email.

 

The Freedom of Information Act 1982 provides that an applicant has 30 days
to request an internal review of the original decision.

 

Defence provided you with a decision in response to your FOI request on 14
January 2025. As it is over 60 days from the date the decision was
provided to you, the timeframe to apply for an internal review of the
decision has lapsed. This process is highlighted in the attached document
which was also provided in the decision email sent on 14 January 2025.

 

Should you wish to submit a new FOI request, you can do so via the
following means;

·         Reply to this email

·         [1]Defence FOI Webform

 

Kind Regards,

 

Freedom of Information Governance Team

Media and Information Disclosure Branch

Ministerial & Executive Coordination and Communication Division

Department of Defence

 

[2]Freedom of information requests | About | Defence

 

 

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

From: John Davis <[3][FOI #12649 email]>

Sent: Saturday, 15 March 2025 5:32 PM

To: FOI Case Management <[4][email address]>

Subject: 20250315 17:32 - Email - John Davis/FOI Case Management -
Internal review of Freedom of Information request - REQUEST FOI - ADF
Decision Brief

 

EXTERNAL EMAIL: Do not click any links or open any attachments unless you
trust the sender and know the content is safe.

 

Dear Defence FOI,

 

 

 

I am writing in response to the FOI release regarding the decision brief
for the removal and merger of the 1st Joint Public Affairs Unit (1 JPAU)
Facebook page and associated social media content.

 

 

 

The information provided in the FOI response was minimal and vague at
best, failing to address the broader context of the decision-making
process, despite clear public interest in how Defence social media assets
are managed and controlled.

 

 

 

It is evident the decision to scrap and repurpose the 1 JPAU Facebook page
was not merely an administrative action, but a calculated move to absorb
an already strong and established audience into the broader Defence media
ecosystem to fuel this new Defence social media evolution.  By exploiting
a preexisting and successful social media page, with a strong and
dedicated following, Defence effectively used the page's audience to boost
its new social media presence while silencing those who originally
created, developed, and maintained the original page and presence. This
transition disregarded the incredible efforts of all the talented ADF
personnel at this joint unit, who regularly actively engaged with the
growth and development of the page’s audience.  As 1 JPAU was successfully
using it as a vital communication tool to provide an important showcase of
the units personnel and the type of work they achieved, just like other
similar Public Affairs units across the world which exist with similar
military units in Five Eyed military Nations, and security aligned ADF
allies.  Regrettably, Defence has now severed this strategically important
capability for the ADF leaving a gaping hole in meeting, matching or even
succeeding with similar military photographic and public affairs allied
units.

 

 

 

Furthermore, it appears Defence engaged external consultants to facilitate
this transition, likely at significant taxpayer expense. Rather than
utilizing capable personnel within the department to do this.  As Defence
outsourced this process it raises concerns about transparency, cost, and
the true motivations behind the transition.

 

 

 

The response provided failed to address several key aspects, including:

 

 

 

1.            The full scope of discussions and decision-making processes
– The documents released do not adequately cover the strategic reasoning
behind the removal of content and the forced transition of the 1JPAU
audience to a new Defence-controlled platform.

 

 

 

2.            The involvement of external consultants – Although the
response does not mention any external firms or individuals involved,
other FOI requests published on Right to Know have demonstrated Defence’s
frequent reliance on consultants for digital media projects. Given the
likelihood of significant financial contracts associated with this
transition, transparency is essential.

 

 

 

Request for Internal Review

 

I am formally requesting a review of this FOI response to ensure full
disclosure of all relevant documents, including:

 

 

 

•             Any contracts, agreements, or financial transactions related
to consultancy services hired to advise or implement this transition,
specifically those between Defence and external firms responsible for
Defence social media reforms.

 

 

 

•             Internal communications, meeting minutes, or correspondence
between Defence and social media platforms regarding content removal.

 

 

 

•             A detailed breakdown of how this decision aligns with
Defence’s stated public affairs strategy and the justification for
preventing contributors from maintaining their presence on the platform
they helped build, maintain, and grow over the years.

 

 

 

Given the significant public interest in this matter and the potential
implications for media integrity within Defence, I expect a thorough and
unredacted response to this request. Please confirm receipt of this
request for an internal review and I await for Defence to deliver more
information about this, as I have requested.

 

 

 

Yours sincerely,

 

 

 

John Davis

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. https://www.defence.gov.au/about/accessi...
2. https://www.defence.gov.au/about/accessi...
3. mailto:[FOI #12649 email]
4. mailto:[email address]

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