A scathing audit report has found that nearly 80% of freedom of information (FoI) requests to key Australian government departments, including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's own department, were rejected, creating a culture of “resistance and delay”. The report from the Australian National Audit Office examined FoI administration across three departments and found no consistent, transparent or accountable decision-making.
Last financial year, 79% of applications were refused in full or in part, and 57% resulted in no documents being released. More than 60% of requests exceeded the mandated 30-day deadline. The auditor general noted that the departments lacked appropriate policies and procedures to meet transparency obligations and failed to maintain adequate records of searches conducted.
Among decisions referred to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner for review, 62% were changed or overturned, indicating that bureaucrats were not fully adhering to the pro-disclosure objectives of the law. “The three audited entities are unable to demonstrate that they have met the obligation to take all reasonable steps to find requested documents,” the report concluded.
Gabrielle Appleby, head of research at the Centre for Public Integrity, said the audit confirms that Australia’s FoI system is not operating as a transparency mechanism but within a government culture of poor record-keeping, resistance and delay. She called for a comprehensive and independent review of the system.
The 1982 Freedom of Information Act allows the public to request official documents, but the system has long been criticised as slow and prone to excessive redaction. In March, Labor abandoned controversial plans to overhaul FoI rules that would have imposed new fees and reduced transparency, after conceding the changes had no viable pathway through parliament.
