This report finds Australia's freedom of information (FOI) system is dysfunctional, making it very difficult for Australians to get information out of government. It notes that the changes proposed in the Australian Government’s Freedom of Information Amendment Bill 2025 would exacerbate problems in the system, concluding that government secrecy is the cause of the problems.

The study measures the Australian public’s awareness of their right to access government information and their experiences and outcomes when exercising that right. The findings suggest a need for increased efforts to raise awareness about the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth).

This issue brief presents a set of challenges for information accessibility that champions the fundamental right to access information. Illustrating good practices at national and regional levels across five continents, including Australia, the brief equips policymakers with key inputs necessary to navigate the complexities of the digital age while ensuring equitable access to information.

Freedom of information (FOI) is a crucial part of the beneficial information feedback loop between the government and the people. However, this submission finds that Australia's FOI system is broken and cultural and legal changes are needed to fix it. It presents the South Australian FOI review process as a model that could be adopted...

Transparency is the cornerstone of democratic governance, yet Australia’s federal executive continues to undermine it through increasing non-compliance with Senate orders for documents. Compliance has fallen to new historic lows. This paper finds that the mechanism for accessing government information has failed, and substantial reform is required. It recommends the establishment of an Independent Legal...