Documents about the controversial decision to allow foreign military personnel to quarantine in a Darwin CBD hotel will remain secret, with a Freedom of Information request rejected on the grounds they could be “susceptible to mischievous interpretation” and “lead to mistrust”.

dozens of pages of correspondence between senior officials — were "brought into existence" for a Cabinet sub-committee, making them exempt under the Information Act.

The department also said releasing the information would provide a "one-sided" view and that disclosure of alternative ideas floated in the correspondence would "likely lead to ill-informed debate" about the department's final decision.