The Freedom of Information (FOI) system shines a light into the darkest places of government. It makes it possible for journalists, advocates and communities to hold governments accountable to the people they serve.
Australia’s FOI system is broken. Instead of making it easy for people to find out what is going on, government agencies appear to be trying to keep secret as much information as possible. This leaves vulnerable communities unable to interrogate policies or decisions that affect them and the government is less accountable to the people.
Navigating the FOI system
We've produced a two-part guide to help you get the answers you need from the Federal government:
Part I: how to submit an FOI request to the Federal government
Part II: what to do if your FOI request gets rejected - and how to appeal
Watch our webinar with FOI experts Jen Robinson, Senator Rex Patrick, Geoffrey Watson SC, journalist Lisa Cox and Grata acting executive director Maria Nawaz:
Assessing how the Federal government treats FOI requests
We've also spoken with journalists, lawyers, community groups and other users of the FOI system - and come up with a list of the Federal government's worst excuses for rejecting FOI requests.