Tourists visit Parliament House of Australia in Canberra, Australia, on May 04, 2019. Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images
Australia’s information watchdog has found widespread shortcomings in the way federal agencies publicly disclose documents under Freedom of Information laws, with two thirds of the agencies examined failing to meet a statutory publication deadline.
A report released by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) found 20 out of 30 agencies had not published all entries within the legally required 10 working days, while 16 out of 30 had not published all the required information released under Freedom of Information (FOI).
Meanwhile, three out of 30 had disclosure logs that could not be easily searched and four out of 30 required people to contact the agency to obtain documents rather than facilitating direct downloads.
Five out of 30 were found to have not provided information about historical and archived entries and 10 out of 12 agencies that provided relevant information did not accurately report to the OAIC the number of disclosure log entries they had published.
Freedom of Information Commissioner Alice Linacre said the FOI Act recognises that government information is a national resource and access to the information supports transparency, accountability and public participation in the government’s decision making processes.
“Proactive disclosure of government information provides an important bulwark against misinformation and disinformation in an increasingly complex information environment,” she said in the report.
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“Government information can often present a source of truth to the community, where mis- and disinformation are present.
“In an information landscape where government resources struggle to meet increasing demand and community expectations, it is critical we turn to initiatives that anticipate public need and have the dual impact of improving service delivery and increasing transparency.”
The OAIC recommended that agencies review the formatting and information on their disclosure logs, including making details easy to access and giving direct access where possible.
It also recommended agencies ensure they comply with the requirement to publicly publish documents within 10 working days after an applicant receives access.
The OAIC review examined 30 Commonwealth agencies and departments, including the Australian Federal Police, Australian Taxation Office and National Disability Insurance Agency.
Together, the agencies reviewed accounted for 75 percent of non-personal FOI requests granted in 2024-25.
