Firstly an acknowledgement that late on Friday I received a response from DFAT to the request for information I'd made exactly one week prior - my request is included in this post from yesterday.

DFAT said it couldn't meet my original deadline of COB Tuesday.  It asked for an extension to COB Thursday.  It then missed that deadline.

Late on Friday I received a non-response "on background" which means not to be quoted and not to be sourced to any particular person.  It's a bit like "off the record".

So ladies and gentlemen, for your background - here is some stuff you already knew and can easily find on the web.

UNCLASSIFIED

Dear Michael,

Thanks for your patience. For your background, between 2006-2010, DFAT worked with a range of partners to deliver on our international development strategy providing HIV/AIDS care, treatment and prevention programs in Vietnam, China, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia through the Clinton Health Access Initiative. Clinton Health Access Initiative was only one of DFAT’s health delivery partners for HIV/AIDS. 

The funding agreement listed in the FOI application you refer to reflects the only contract between DFAT and the Clinton Climate Initiative and does not include Clinton Climate Initiative contracts with other government or non-government agencies or departments.

DFAT has specific clauses on branding aid projects and initiatives built into our grant agreements (see http://dfat.gov.au/about-us/corporate/Pages/branding-aid-projects-and-initiatives.aspx).

DFAT’s aid grant policy applies the principles of the Commonwealth Grant Rules and Guidelines for awarding and administering all aid grants. DFAT policy is to use competitive, merit based selection processes to award aid grants, unless approval to directly award a grant is obtained and value for money is demonstrated.

Kind regards

This crap makes Gillard and Rudd look good.

If DFAT won't help us, we will help DFAT.

Stand by for more.