Monthly FOI update :: Sparke Helmore

The Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth) provides the public with a legal right to access documents and information held by Commonwealth Government and Ministers, subject to the application of exemption provisions. Our brief monthly update will keep you informed about recent FOI decisions of the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC), the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) and Federal Court of Australia (FCA). We will also share our insights on FOI trends and some practical FOI processing tips, which we hope will assist agencies in navigating the processing of FOI requests.

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28 May 2026 | Australia's FOI system under review - Key findings from the Auditor-General

Results of an audit conducted by the Australian National Audit Office have found that the audited federal government departments' administration of the FOI Act were 'partly effective' in giving the community access to information.

27 May 2026 | Case note: Tennant and Secretary, Department of Employment and Workplace Relations

This Administrative Review Tribunal decision concerns a decision of the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations and discussed the application of ss 47E(a), 47D and 47E(d) of the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth).

25 May 2026 | Guide to undertaking a formal consultation under s 24AB of the FOI Act

Under ss 24 and 24AB of the FOI Act, relying on a practical refusal reason to refuse a request for access to documents is contingent on an agency first undertaking a formal consultation process. In this article, we provide a step-by-step guide to undertaking a formal consultation under s 24AA of the FOI Act.

21 May 2026 | Guidance with handling AI-generated Freedom of Information requests

The increased accessibility to free, online AI tools in recent years creates the opportunity for individuals to use the technology to quickly draft and submit requests under the Freedom of Information Act. This presents novel challenges for Australian government agencies processing requests.

29 April 2026 | A guide to applying s 47F (5) of the FOI Act – release of personal information to a qualified person

In some circumstances, an FOI decision maker may be concerned about releasing certain material to an FOI applicant, due to the impact the disclosure of the material may have on that applicant's health or well-being.

28 April 2026 | A guide to applying s 38(2) of the FOI Act - allowing disclosure of an applicant's own personal information where secrecy provisions would otherwise apply

When considering the disclosure of information protected by a secrecy provision under s 38 of the FOI Act, an FOI decision maker may have to release information which would otherwise be exempt, where it is the personal information of the FOI applicant themselves.

27 April 2026 | Case Note - 'AZV' and Commonwealth Ombudsman (Freedom of information)

This Information Commissioner review decision concerns a decision of the Commonwealth Ombudsman and discussed the application of ss 24A and 47E(d) of the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth).

30 March 2026 | Minor updates to the FOI Guidelines in February 2026

The FOI Guidelines were recently updated and are now dated as of March 2026. We have summarised the changes in a table for ease of reference and providing a short summary of the substantive changes.

25 March 2026 | FOI Commissioner Linacre reflects on her first six months

Alice Linacre has recently reflected on her the first six months in her role as Australia's Freedom of Information Commissioner.

24 March 2026 | Kline and the Registrar Administrative Review Tribunal (Freedom of information)

This review decision concerns a decision of the Registrar of the Administrative Review Tribunal on an access refusal decision made under the Freedom of information Act.

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