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RECORD RADAR · ROTATION 007
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SUN 14 JUN 2026
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— ROTATION 007 / 2026.06.14
Rotation 007 /033
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The 33 new FOI releases from Federal government departments and eight key agencies this week are summarised below. Notable this week: five releases relating to the NDIS including more detail on a cross-agency cost-cutting team; the first release from Defence in two months values their non-financial assets at $130 billion; the government penalised Alcoa for illegal clearing while exempting it to continue; and the ATO is using Fivecast tech to track some people's social media and pair it with tax file number data, despite the tax office's own privacy assessment flagging concerns. Companies mentioned: KPMG, Qantas, Jones Lang LaSalle, Alcoa, Glencore, Rio Tinto, Woodside, Ampol, IFM, Wesfarmers Chemicals Energy and Fertilisers, APLNG, Senex, Charas Constructions, Top End Pastoral Company, Fivecast. If you've been forwarded this email, you can subscribe here. To find out more about how to lodge your own FOI requests, head to Right to Know. The initial release summaries are produced by AI, but verified and written by humans. All feedback is welcome, just hit reply.
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33
Found
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10
Recommended-read
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20
Look
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34%
Avg redact
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HEALTH, DISABILITY + AGING
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3 found · 2 recommended-read · 1 look
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READ
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HEALTH, DISABILITY + AGING
· % REDACTED 40%
Government's NDIS savings machine: who was in the room
The government assembled a 25-person cross-agency taskforce in February 2026 to develop NDIS reform options for the 2026–27 Budget, with staff from Treasury, Finance, PM&C and the NDIA, detailed in 18 pages, released in part, with reform options papers redacted entirely. Led by Treasury First Assistant Secretary Anthea Long and reporting to Minister Butler via Health Secretary Blair Comley, the taskforce was organised around evidence and costings on one side, and cabinet strategy and stakeholder engagement on the other. The taskforce's formal purpose is entirely redacted, but its visible workstreams (participant growth modelling, cost drivers and distributional impacts) point to scheme cost containment. Redactions: s.47E(d) (purpose), s.47E(c) and s.47F (staff names), s.47C (stakeholder list and deliberative material).
See the disclosure →
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READ
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HEALTH, DISABILITY + AGING
· % REDACTED 45%
Disability ministers press for NDIS savings data as rule changes take effect
Two Disability Reform Ministerial Council meetings in early 2025 were dominated by discussions about upcoming NDIS change implementations, with ministers pushing for evaluations of rule changes under sections 10 and 33 of the amended NDIA Act, as well as briefings on forecasted savings in two documents (eight pages, released in part). Includes documents on how states and territories were brought into NDIA's procurement of needs assessment tools, as well as records endorsement of the Evidence Advisory Committee's 2025–26 work plan, and a recommitment to the Disability Royal Commission response. Redactions: significant s.22 (irrelevant material) removes several agenda items, and two full pages are withheld under s.47B(a) (Commonwealth–state deliberative processes).
See the disclosure →
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LOOK
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HEALTH, DISABILITY + AGING
· % REDACTED 15%
Government software briefly published as open source on GitHub
A one-page letter released in full shows that Future Fit Collective, a small body run by Meals on Wheels volunteers in Tamworth and Dubbo, was entrusted with department software called GoSource, then published it as open source on GitHub. It was live for about two weeks before a redacted third party raised a copyright claim, after which FFC says it immediately locked the software. FFC is now winding up entirely. Redactions: minor under s.47F (personal details), s.47G (business identities) and s.11C (names).
See the disclosure →
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NDIS + NDIS COMMISSION
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4 found · 1 recommended-read · 2 look
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LOOK
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NDIS + NDIS COMMISSION
· % REDACTED 0%
NDIA internal research papers reveal thin evidence base for some therapy funding decisions
Four internal research papers prepared by the NDIA's Technical Advisory Branch between 2020 and 2022 were released in full. The papers were on learner driving lessons for participants; therapy best practice across nine disability groups; specialised driving for people with cognitive impairments; and AAC devices (communication support) for motor neurone disease. They were produced to support advisors making "reasonable and necessary" funding decisions. The recurring finding across all documents is the absence of evidence to support specific intervention dosages, as the reviewed literature focused on whether interventions work rather than how many hours are needed, and that determining precise allocations would require the agency to commission its own systematic reviews. Retractions: negligible, with only staff surnames redacted under s.47F.
See the disclosure →
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LOOK
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NDIS + NDIS COMMISSION
· % REDACTED 10%
NDIA disability housing pipeline lists 6,100 planned dwellings
One document of 108 pages listing approximately 6,100 Specialist Disability Accommodation pipeline dwellings as at 31 March 2026, released in part. The dataset records each dwelling's state, category, type, resident capacity and number of rooms, with design certificate dates ranging from 2022 to early 2026. The NDIA cautions the pipeline may overstate actual supply, as there is no guarantee listed dwellings will be enrolled, and notes that from 30 March 2026 it began removing dwellings that had not progressed to enrolment within 36 months. Redactions: minor, only provider names.
See the disclosure →
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READ
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NDIS + NDIS COMMISSION
· % REDACTED 0%
How NDIS participants are referred to the Complex Support Needs pathway
One three-page internal process document describing how NDIS participants may be referred to the NDIA's Complex Support Needs branch and its Children and Young People (CYP) team by state-based service delivery delegates. These decisions would be based on factors including homelessness risk, multiple disabilities, involvement with child protection or justice systems, vulnerability to abuse or neglect, thin provider markets, and stressed care arrangements. The CYP team provides integrative, early intervention support to children with severe neurodevelopmental or physical disabilities and complex needs. Redactions: none, released in full.
See the disclosure →
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SKIP
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NDIS + NDIS COMMISSION
· % REDACTED 100%
Deputy Commissioner's emails to staff on DART program status
One document released to the applicant comprising internal emails from Deputy Commissioner Laura Sham to all staff between 13 and 30 April 2026 regarding the status of the DART program. The document was not published in the disclosure log. We've requested it and plan to include it in next week's FOI Weekly.
See the disclosure →
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DEFENCE
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1 found · 1 recommended-read
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READ
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DEFENCE
Jones Lang Lasalle values Defence entire non-financial asset base at $130.4 billion
Three documents (a decision brief, service order, and statement of work), released in part, detail Defence's contract with Jones Lang LaSalle to independently value its entire non-financial asset base from 2025–26 to 2027–28. The asset base was recorded at $130.4 billion as at June 2024 and is expected to grow to $150.2 billion by 2027–28, covering land, buildings, infrastructure, plant and equipment, and specialist military equipment worth over $45 billion including platforms such as planes, tanks, and ships. Defence said it cannot perform the audit work in-house due to a lack of qualified staff with the contract following an ANAO audit finding on valuation methodology. Redactions: personal details under s.47F; some site information withheld under s. 33(a)(i).
See the disclosure →
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SKIP
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PM&C
· % REDACTED 25%
PM's office arranges meeting with Qantas CEO and Chairman
Around 12 pages of emails and texts between the Prime Minister's Office and Qantas's Government and Public Affairs team to arrange a meeting between PM Albanese and Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson, with Qantas Chairman John Mullen. Redactions under s.22 (personal privacy) remove staff names, numbers and email addresses.
See the disclosure →
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LOOK
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PM&C
· % REDACTED 60%
Drafting the Bondi attack review terms of reference
Senior PM&C officials drafted and consulted on terms of reference (ToRs) for the Independent Commonwealth Review into federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies following the December 2025 Bondi terrorist attack. The 31 documents, released in part, consist of emails between PM&C's Domestic Security branch. the AFP, Home Affairs, the Attorney-General's Department, ASIO and the Office of National Intelligence, plus a ministerial submission signed by PM Albanese on 24 December 2025. The emails show rapid weekend drafting on 20–21 December with four iterations. Redactions: mostly s.47 (deliberative process) have removed the substance of the draft terms of reference at earlier stages and internal feedback, plus smaller redactions under s.22 (staff details).
See the disclosure →
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SKIP
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DFAT
· % REDACTED 0%
US Ambassador change over letters
Two letters from Governor-General Sam Mostyn AC to President Donald Trump, both dated 2 April 2026 and totalling four pages, released in full. The first appoints Greg Moriarty AO as Australia's Ambassador to the United States; the second formally recalls Kevin Rudd AC from the same role. No redactions.
See the disclosure →
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LOOK
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DFAT
· % REDACTED 55%
Diplomatic efforts to speed up adoptions from South Korea reduced process by ~25%
Fifteen cables and attachments from 2016, released in part, indicate Australia's successful lobbying to simplify Korea's exit permit system to speed up the intercountry adoption process of Korean children to Australian families, reducing the processing times by ~25%. Includes discussion around documentation and police clearance requirements for adoptive parents. Redactions: Several entire cables and large page ranges are fully redacted under s.33 (international relations), with further redactions under s.47 and s.22 F(1) (personal privacy, and irrelevant material respectively).
See the disclosure →
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ATTORNEY GENERAL'S
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1 found · 1 look
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LOOK
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ATTORNEY GENERAL'S
· % REDACTED 5%
National Archives approved partial destruction of mid-century AG's correspondence
Three documents across 20 pages, one released in full and two released in part, detail the fate of 169 Attorney-General's Department correspondence files from 1929 to 1975, transferred to the National Archives. The Archives re-evaluated the records under updated disposal authorities. About 63% were retained permanently, covering constitutionally and legally significant matters such as the Western Australia secession case, major copyright litigation, extradition cases, and Attorney-General speeches. Around 35% of more routine administrative files such as departmental drafting were authorised for destruction in June 2011, and the remaining~2% for destruction after 2055. Redactions: minor under s.22 (personal information).
See the disclosure →
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TREASURY
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1 found · 1 look
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LOOK
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TREASURY
· % REDACTED 15%
Inside the Investor Front Door: flowcharts, KPMG contracts, and a $17.3m budget to smooth the path for big capital
Seven documents across 17 pages, released in part, show how Treasury organised the 2025 Investor Front Door pilot to help proponents of nationally significant projects (capital expenditure above $50 million) navigate regulatory requirements and access government financing. The release includes organisational charts, project selection criteria, a formerly Cabinet-classified process flowchart, and Senate Estimates briefs. Funding has grown from $11.2 million in the 2024–25 to $17.3 million in the 2025–26. Includes procurement contracts with AGS ($81,405 for probity advice) and KPMG ($250,000 for regulatory mapping). Redactions: minor, under s.22 (personal information) and s.47E(d) (operations of agencies).
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SOCIAL SERVICES
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1 found · 1 look
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LOOK
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SOCIAL SERVICES
· % REDACTED 30%
UQ environmental management masters rejected for student payment eligibility
Two versions of the University of Queensland's Master of Environmental Management were assessed and rejected for student payment approval in 2015, across 25 pages released in part. Both failed because UQ also offers a shorter Graduate Diploma in the same field, and assessors found no job advertisements indicating a masters is the minimum requirement for employment in environmental management. The release includes the application forms, assessment checklists, outcome letter to UQ's then Vice-Chancellor, the DSS approval guidelines, and a consolidated rejection list with other universities' details redacted under s.22.
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ATO
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1 found · 1 recommended-read
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READ
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ATO
· % REDACTED 30%
ATO using social media surveillance tool to find tax cheats
Forty-five pages of internal governance documents released in part with operational methods withheld under s. 37(2)(b), reveal the ATO's use of Fivecast ONYX, an open-source intelligence platform that searches social media and other publicly available information to identify persons of interest for compliance action. Documents include a privacy impact assessment, threshold assessment, OSINT tools policy, and intelligence guide, as well as funding through the Tax Avoidance Taskforce. The Fivecast tool is used by intelligence and risk staff to search for specific individuals and to detect emerging patterns of potential fraud, with results matched to ATO-held records including TFNs. The ATO's own assessment acknowledges the risk of function creep and flags psychosocial risks to staff from inadvertent exposure to explicit material, requiring privacy screens and access to wellbeing support. Redactions: moderate under s.37, s.22, and s.47.
See the disclosure →
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INDUSTRY, SCIENCE, RESOURCES
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2 found · 2 look
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LOOK
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INDUSTRY, SCIENCE, RESOURCES
· % REDACTED 50%
Ayres diary reveals Glencore merger talk and resources sector meetings
Six diary entries from March 2026 show Minister for Industry and Innovation Tim Ayres meeting senior representatives of major resources and energy companies, across ten pages released in part. The most notable is a meeting with Glencore CEO Gary Nagle on 12 March, where the minister's office noted two discussion topics: the proposed merger with Rio Tinto and Glencore's new investment projects in Australia. Other meetings were held with Woodside (23 March), Ampol and IFM (4 March), Wesfarmers Chemicals Energy and Fertilisers (24 March), APLNG (11 March) and Senex (26 March). Redactions: Four full pages are redacted under s.22 (irrelevant material) and attendee names under s.47F throughout.
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LOOK
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INDUSTRY, SCIENCE, RESOURCES
· % REDACTED 99%
AI gap analysis Cabinet submission almost entirely withheld
A single page labelled "Attachment F" to a Cabinet submission on artificial intelligence gap analysis was released, with its entire contents withheld under s.34(2) (Cabinet documents). The page, classified PROTECTED//CABINET, contains only a placeholder note that content was due by 7 November 2025. Seems like a good topic to keep sending FOI requests in about so: righttoknow.org.au
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INFRASTRUCTURE ETC
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2 found · 2 look
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LOOK
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INFRASTRUCTURE ETC
· % REDACTED 20%
Sydney Olympic FC wins $1.5m federal grant for women's facilities at Belmore
Fifteen documents across approximately 52 pages show Sydney Olympic Football Club's successful application for $1.5 million under the Play Our Way program to build dedicated women's changing rooms at Peter Moore Field, Belmore, released in part. The club also disclosed a governance matter involving former associate Bill Papas but stated it was not involved in wrongdoing. Builder Charas Constructions committed a $300,000 co-contribution for male changerooms. Redactions: s47F (personal information), s47G(1)(a) (two documents withheld entirely, plus budget and construction quote details throughout).
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LOOK
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INFRASTRUCTURE ETC
· % REDACTED 10%
Full grant files for Julian Hill MP's Stronger Communities nominations in Bruce
Eighty-six documents across approximately 994 pages cover the lifecycle of small community grants ($4,000–$20,000) nominated by Julian Hill MP through the Stronger Communities Programme, an MP-directed funding scheme that lets individual members choose which local organisations receive federal money. The release runs from application forms through Commonwealth grant agreements to end-of-project completion reports. Eight documents appear withheld entirely. Redactions: minor, under s47F (personal information).
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AFP
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1 found · 1 recommended-read
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READ
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AFP
· % REDACTED 60%
AFP security risk plan for Brisbane Women's Asian Cup released with key assessments hidden
A seven-page risk assessment and plan for Operation Crystal Brooke, the AFP's security operation for the AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026 in Brisbane, was released in part. The document, prepared by the Specialist Protective Command's Special Event Planning Team, identifies eight broad risk categories including inadequate dignitary protection, unauthorised carriage of firearms by foreign security officers, intelligence dissemination failures, and potential foreign interference with deployed AFP members. Redactions: While the risk descriptions, sources, and potential consequences are visible, virtually all substantive analysis and existing controls, effectiveness and risk ratings, and plan details, have been redacted under s.22, s.37 and s.47.
See the disclosure →
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CLIMATE, ENERGY ETC
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9 found · 2 recommended-read · 7 look
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READ
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CLIMATE, ENERGY ETC
· % REDACTED 35%
Alcoa's $55m deal came with an exemption to keep clearing
Seventeen documents show the ministerial communications around the Alcoa Huntly mine enforcement action, released in part. The total enforceable undertaking was $55 million with $15 million for the original breach plus $40 million for a further area cleared while already under investigation. However, at the same time, Minister Watt granted Alcoa a national-interest exemption to clear up to 1,200 more hectares over 18 months, citing gallium supply for renewables and defence. Internal emails show the office wanting to frame the announcement as a warning to environmental lawbreakers ahead of EPBC reforms. Redactions: s.47C(1) (deliberative processes), s.47F (personal information), s.22 (irrelevant material).
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READ
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CLIMATE, ENERGY ETC
· % REDACTED 20%
Alcoa pays $15m for unauthorised forest clearing and may still be at it
Thirty-two documents detail the department's action against Alcoa for clearing 1,777 hectares of Northern Jarrah Forest between 2019 and 2023 without EPBC Act approval, released in part. The clearing destroyed habitat for three black cockatoo species as well as for woylies, quolls, and numbats. The department had been telling Alcoa since 2011 that its claimed continuous-use exemption did not apply, owing to a 28% increase in extraction rates. Instead of civil penalty proceedings, the minister accepted a $15 million enforceable undertaking (roughly the maximum court penalty) directed to wildlife conservation. Alcoa does not admit breach and the brief notes Alcoa has allegedly continued clearing since 2023, with investigations ongoing. Redactions: Sixteen documents withheld entirely with s.42(1) (legal privilege), s.37(2) (enforcement), s.47E(d) (agency operations), s.47F (personal information).
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LOOK
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CLIMATE, ENERGY ETC
· % REDACTED 10%
Wingecarribee Swamp's Ramsar listing lost to 1998 collapse, never revisited
Two documents, released in part, show departmental officials investigating why Wingecarribee Swamp was never formally nominated as a Ramsar wetland i.e. of international importance. The swamp partially collapsed due to peat mining and low water levels, derailing a listing process that had been under discussion. Redactions under s.22 (irrelevant material) and s.11C(1)(a) (confidential information) remove staff and stakeholder names throughout.
See the disclosure →
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LOOK
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CLIMATE, ENERGY ETC
· % REDACTED 75%
Four land-sector carbon credit methods chosen from 39 bids, but most detail withheld
Sixteen documents, released in part, cover the 2024 proponent-led method development process for Australia's ACCU scheme. The Emissions Reduction Assurance Committee assessed 39 expressions of interest and recommended four for immediate development (all land-sector methods, two led by First Nations organisations) covering native regrowth retention, wetland protection from feral hoofed animals, public native forest management, and fire management in the northern arid zone. Redactions: Most pages are in full under s.47E(d) (operations of agencies), with some s.22.
See the disclosure →
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LOOK
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CLIMATE, ENERGY ETC
· % REDACTED 60%
Claravale land clearing deemed not a controlled action under EPBC Act
Thirty-two documents, from 2024 to 2026 and released in part, indicating coordination between DCCEEW and the NT Department of Lands, Planning and Environment over Top End Pastoral Company's proposal to clear native vegetation for dryland cropping at Claravale Station and Farm, near Katherine, NT. The correspondence shows the NT Pastoral Land Board granted a clearing permit while acknowledging a credible risk of significant impact to ghost bat habitat. The permit was later varied to exclude northern polygons near known roosts, reducing the footprint by 67%. Redactions: Some s.22 (personal information) but mostly large sections of meeting minutes covering other projects are withheld in full.
See the disclosure →
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LOOK
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CLIMATE, ENERGY ETC
· % REDACTED 5%
NT vegetation clearing near Katherine falls outside EPBC Act controls
Top End Pastoral Company's proposal to clear roughly 2,723 hectares of native vegetation for dryland cropping near Katherine, NT was found not to require EPBC Act assessment, across 17 documents, released in part. The correspondence covers pre-referral meetings, a request for further information, and an impact assessment addressing more than a dozen threatened species including the critically endangered Mitchell's water monitor and northern blue-tongued skink. Redactions: minor, limited to personal contact details under s.22 (irrelevant material).
See the disclosure →
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LOOK
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CLIMATE, ENERGY ETC
· % REDACTED 40%
Foreign vessels suspected of killing turtles and dolphins near Browse Island
Foreign fishing vessels were repeatedly caught targeting protected marine species near Browse Island Nature Reserve across mid-2020, according to 14 documents, released in part. The core pattern involved Indonesian-type vessels, with aerial and naval surveillance documenting suspected turtle harvesting and egg collection, and at least one vessel carrying what appeared to be dead dolphins or small whales under a tarpaulin. Communications about evidence and between ABF Maritime Border Command, Parks Australia, AFMA, and Defence show Parks Australia pressing for investigative boardings, noting that taking marine mammals or possessing turtle products are serious EPBC Act offences. The quarterly compliance report itself is almost entirely withheld. Redactions: under s.22 and s.47 cover names, mission identifiers, coordinates, and the compliance report's substance.
See the disclosure →
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LOOK
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CLIMATE, ENERGY ETC
· % REDACTED 75%
Four land-sector carbon credit methods chosen from 39 bids, but most detail withheld
Sixteen documents, released in part, cover the 2024 proponent-led method development process for Australia's ACCU scheme. The Emissions Reduction Assurance Committee assessed 39 expressions of interest and recommended four for immediate development (all land-sector methods, two led by First Nations organisations) covering native regrowth retention, wetland protection from feral hoofed animals, public native forest management, and fire management in the northern arid zone. Redactions: Most pages are in full under s.47E(d) (operations of agencies), with some s.22.
See the disclosure →
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LOOK
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CLIMATE, ENERGY ETC
· % REDACTED 10%
Agencies scrambled after commercial fishing gear washed into Lord Howe marine park
Four documents comprising an incident log and email chain between NSW DPI, Parks Australia and AFMA, released in part, reveal two incidents of hazardous commercial fishing gear drifting into the Lord Howe Island Marine Park Habitat Protection Zone in February 2023. Marine Rescue LHI recovered a 3km longline with over 200 hooks attached to Taiwanese-branded floats among others. Parks Australia's compliance team referred the matter to AFMA, noting the gear was potentially foreign and linked to fishing activity in the Western and Central Pacific.
See the disclosure →
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OAIC
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2 found · 2 recommended-read
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READ
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OAIC
· % REDACTED 0%
Six years of OAIC privacy complaint outcomes revealed in aggregate data
One 12-page document created under s.17 and released in full, providing aggregated statistics on all privacy complaints received by the OAIC from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2025. The data is broken down by calendar year, open or closed status, case outcome under the Privacy Act, and whether the complainant first raised the matter with the respondent. The most common closed outcomes across the period include findings of no breach under s.41, withdrawals, and complaints redirected to external dispute resolution, while 2025 shows a large volume of complaints still open. Redactions: none, released in full.
See the disclosure →
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READ
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OAIC
· % REDACTED 40%
Released OAIC playbook shows how the regulator assesses breach harm
A single page from the OAIC's internal "Preliminary inquiries question bank" (page 18 of a larger document, dated August 2023), released in part with the actual questions withheld under s.22. The released portion contains guidance used by the Notifiable Data Breach team when assessing whether a breach is likely to cause serious harm, covering factors such as scale, time of exposure, and the unreliability of a lack of evidence that data was accessed. The OAIC warns that threat actors often delete evidence of their actions, so organisations should not assume data was not accessed simply because logs show no activity.
See the disclosure →
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AGRICULTURE
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1 found · 1 look
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LOOK
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AGRICULTURE
· % REDACTED 65%
Body-shot kangaroos rejected from export chain: 14 incidents in early 2025
Fourteen incident report forms, released in part, document cases in early 2025 where kangaroo carcasses arrived at export-registered processing establishments with gunshot wounds to the body rather than the required head shot. All affected carcases were condemned as ineligible for human consumption or pet food, with reports filed to state authorities and the department's food safety unit.
See the disclosure →
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Quiet this rotation · no releases from HOME AFFAIRS, FINANCE, VETERAN'S AFFAIRS, RESERVE BANK, EDUCATION, ACCC, APRA, AUSTRAC, SERVICES AUSTRALIA, IP AUSTRALIA, AEC.
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