OFFICIAL

Dear Mr Big,

I write in relation to your email of 8 September 2021, seeking access to
documents under the Freedom of Information Act 1982.

This email sets out some information about how your request will be
processed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (the department).

Timeframe for receiving our decision:

We received your request on 8 September 2021 and the 30-day statutory
period for processing your request commenced from the day after that date.

Agreement to extend processing timeframe

We ask for your agreement to extend the statutory timeframe for processing
your request.

We would be grateful if you could please confirm whether you agree to an
extension of 30 days to process your request (under section 15AA of the
FOI Act).

The department is currently complying with all lockdown requirements
consistent with instructions from the ACT Government. This includes remote
working arrangements. As such, the department is experiencing delays to
the processing of FOI requests, including in the conduct of searches,
internal consultations and finalisation of FOI decisions. We will continue
to process all FOI requests as efficiently as possible. 

Should you agree to an extension, the department will notify the Office of
the Australian Information Commissioner.

Scope of request:

You have sought access to the following:

“Please provide the following statistics about your website, broken down
by financial years 2019-20 and 2020-21.

1) The total number of all visits to your website.

2) The number of site visits to your:

a) FOI webapge

b) FOI disclosure log webpage

c) Information Publication Scheme (IPS) entry webpage

d) IPS agency plan webpage

e) privacy webpage”

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.

Charges:

Please note that the Department may issue charges for processing FOI
requests.  We will advise you of any relevant charges when we are in a
position to estimate the resources required to process your request.

Disclosure log:

Please note that, with some exceptions (such as personal information),
documents released under the FOI Act may later be published on the
department’s disclosure log:
[1]https://www.dfat.gov.au/about-us/corpora...

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
[2][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 [3]dfat.gov.au/privacy.html.

Should you require any further information, please do not hesitate to
contact us by return e-mail at [4][DFAT request email]

Kind regards,

DFAT FOI Team

Freedom of Information and Privacy Law Section
Legal Division | Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
[5]DFAT.GOV.AU | [6]Twitter | [7]Facebook | [8]Flickr | [9]YouTube

This email and any attachments may contain confidential information or
legal advice over which legal professional privilege can be claimed. Such
privilege is not waived and you should ensure that, in your handling of
the advice, you avoid waiving privilege. Please consult the author of the
advice if unsure about appropriate handling.

References

Visible links
1. https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlo...
2. mailto:[DFAT request email]
3. http://dfat.gov.au/privacy.html
4. mailto:[DFAT request email]
5. http://dfat.gov.au/pages/default.aspx
6. https://twitter.com/dfat
7. https://www.facebook.com/dfat.gov.au
8. https://www.flickr.com/photos/dfataustra...
9. https://www.youtube.com/user/dfat

OFFICIAL
Dear Mr Big,

Thank you for your email.

The department regrets the delay in the processing of your request, and will provide a decision to you as soon as available.

Kind regards,

DFAT FOI Team
Freedom of Information and Privacy Law Section
Legal Division | Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
DFAT.GOV.AU | Twitter | Facebook | Flickr | YouTube

-----Original Message-----
From: Cole Big <[FOI #7835 email]>
Sent: Friday, 26 November 2021 7:49 AM
To: FOI <[DFAT request email]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Re: Your FOI request - Acknowledgement (LEX4376) [SEC=OFFICIAL]

******
CAUTION: This email originated from outside the organisation. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognise the sender.
******
Dear FOI team

Please see my recent messages. I am seeking an update on my overdue request and would appreciate you sending me a reply.

Cole Big
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OFFICIAL

Dear Mr Big,

Please find attached correspondence relating to your FOI request.

Kind regards,

DFAT FOI Team

Freedom of Information and Privacy Law Section
Legal Division | Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
[1]DFAT.GOV.AU | [2]Twitter | [3]Facebook | [4]Flickr | [5]YouTube

References

Visible links
1. http://dfat.gov.au/pages/default.aspx
2. https://twitter.com/dfat
3. https://www.facebook.com/dfat.gov.au
4. https://www.flickr.com/photos/dfataustra...
5. https://www.youtube.com/user/dfat