Overview

• Full Freedom of Information releases plunged to 25% in 2023–24, down from nearly 50% in 2021–22 and marking the lowest rate in over a decade.
• Outright refusals surged to 23% of FOI applications, almost double the percentage recorded under the Morrison government.
• Public interest immunity claims now average one per week, compared with one every three weeks during the previous administration.
• Compliance with Senate orders to produce documents fell to 32.8%, the second-worst rate since 1993, leading crossbench senators to set deadlines or demand justifications for withheld materials.
• Despite a 97% funding increase for the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner and a 15% rise in initial request completions, average review wait times have extended to 15.5 months.