FOI Coordinator, GPO Box 5218, Sydney NSW 2001
Dear Coordinator,
On behalf of Australians for War Powers Reform (AWPR) I hereby submit a request for documents and for information held in electronic form by the Department of Defence, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. This is an application for the purposes of the FOI Act 1982.
I request access to documents relating to deployments of Australian troops, military assistance or any other form of military support in Iraq in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017, and in Syria in 2015, 2016, and 2017, specifically:
1. Any request for Australian troops, military assistance or other military support made by any Minister, official, military leader or any other competent authority of the receiving or host state (Iraq), by any Minister, official, military leader or any other competent authority of any other state participating in or supporting military operations or activities in the receiving or host state, or by any Minister, official, military leader or any other competent authority of any other state or states which might wish to procure Australian troops, military assistance or any other form of military support for the receiving or host state;
2. Any request by any Australian Minister, official, or military leader for an invitation to be issued to the Australian Government for Australian troops, military assistance or other military support to be sent to the receiving or host state (Iraq), by any Minister, official, military leader or any other competent authority of the receiving or host state (Iraq) , by any Minister, official, military leader or any other competent authority of any other state participating in or supporting military operations or activities in the receiving or host state (Iraq), or by any Minister, official, military leader or any other competent authority of any other state or states which might wish to procure Australian troops, military assistance or any other form of military support for the receiving or host state (Iraq);
3. Any request for Australian aircraft to take part in bombing operations in Syria made by any Minister, official, military leader or any other competent authority of Iraq, or by any Minister, official, military leader or any other competent authority of any other state or states;
4. Any request by any Australian Minister, official, or military leader for an invitation to be issued to the Australian Government for Australian aircraft to take part in bombing operations in Syria by any Minister, official, military leader or any other competent authority of Iraq, or by any Minister, official, military leader or any other competent authority of any other state or states;
5. Any agreed and documented orders of battle relating to Australian military deployments in both Iraq and Syria and identifying the enemy as distinct from other military or militia active in Iraq and Syria;
6. Any agreed and documented orders of battle relating to Australian military deployments in both Iraq and Syria and identifying the enemy as distinct from Kurdish forces active in Iraq and Syria.
I look forward to your reply and thank you in advance for your assistance with this request.
Yours sincerely,
Paul Barratt AO
President AWPR
16 February 2017
