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RECORD RADAR · ROTATION 014
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SUN 09 AUG 2026
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— ROTATION 014 / 2026.08.09
Rotation 014 /057
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The 57 new FOI releases from Federal government departments and key agencies from 2-9 August 2026 are summarised below. Quick welcome to everyone who has signed up since our beta invites went out a few weeks ago. FOI Weekly is the first in a series of government transparency tools we're building. The next two launch as closed betas this week. If you want to join the betas, you can find out more here. Now back to this week's FOIs. Notable this week: Home Affairs recorded a death at Villawood as detention incidents climbed from 870 a month to almost 1,500; the government actuary warned the NDIA that 2026-27 Budget projections are likely too low.; Finance flagged two specific KPMG concerns to the minister: Mike Baird's resignation and a relationship between two executives; and Finance is spending $166.4 million on its secure assistant GovAI Chat, now in trials with ~5,000 public servants. Key companies mentioned: KPMG (in five releases); Palantir, Elbit Systems, Apple, Anthropic, Fortescue, BHP, Deloitte, DT Global, HAMR Energy, Microsoft, New Energy Transport, OpenAI, and Qantas. If you've been forwarded this email, you can subscribe here. To find out more about lodging FOI requests, at Right to Know. The initial summaries of the documents are produced by AI, but verified and written up by humans. All feedback is welcome, just hit reply.
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57
Found
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19
Recommended-read
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32
Look
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35%
Avg redact
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HOME AFFAIRS
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14 found · 4 recommended-read · 10 look
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READ
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HOME AFFAIRS
· % REDACTED 0%
Death recorded at Villawood as detention incidents surge
At least one person died at Villawood immigration detention centre between July 2025 and May 2026, according to incident statistics released by Home Affairs. Total incidents across the network reached 23,118, rising from around 870 a month in the eight months to June 2025 to ~1,500 a month over the following 11. Villawood recorded 2,402 planned uses of force. Redactions: none.
See the disclosure →
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HOME AFFAIRS
· % REDACTED 0%
ABF detected 1,000 tonnes of illicit tobacco and vapes in under four months
A slide deck presented to industry at a 29 April 2026 Border Integrity Meeting says ABF detected around 1,000 tonnes of illicit tobacco and vapes at the border in less than four months, arriving mostly through air and sea cargo via mis-declaration, transhipment, concealment and front companies. The deck says organised crime uses violence to dominate the market and funds drug trafficking, human trafficking and terrorism, and flags the underbond warehouse system as a key vulnerability. Redactions: none.
See the disclosure →
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HOME AFFAIRS
· % REDACTED 0%
Antisemitism Envoy on US Anti-Defamation League's fundraising mailing list
Four documents released in full show Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism Jillian Segal's correspondence with the US-based Anti-Defamation League on its Never Is Now conference and Campus Antisemitism Report Card consists entirely of newsletter and fundraising emails from ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt. The messages defend Harvard against Trump administration funding threats, seek donations tied to a campus assault, and invite Segal to the March 2026 New York summit. No response from the Envoy's office is included. Redactions: none.
See the disclosure →
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HOME AFFAIRS
· % REDACTED 0%
Most protection visa refusals for South Sudanese failed on character grounds
Home Affairs refused 20 Protection (subclass 866) visa applications from South Sudanese citizens across the five financial years to May 2026, 12 of them because the applicant did not satisfy the character and security test in section 36(1C) of the Migration Act. Fewer than five people were involuntarily removed to South Sudan across the same period, all in 2022/23. Figures exclude refusals overturned at merits review. Redactions: none.
See the disclosure →
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HOME AFFAIRS
· % REDACTED 80%
US pressuring Australia to share citizens' biometric data or lose visa-free travel
The US is seeking Australia's agreement to share real-time biometric data, including criminal history, as a condition of Visa Waiver Program access, with a 31 December 2026 deadline to demonstrate compliance. Documents show Home Affairs and DFAT scrambling through late 2025 and early 2026 to progress Australia's position on the Enhanced Border Security Partnership, which US authorities began pushing in 2022. Around 950,000 Australians travel to the US under the program annually. Redactions: s.22, s.33(a)(iii), s.33(b), s.42, s.47C, s.47F.
See the disclosure →
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HOME AFFAIRS
· % REDACTED 90%
Home Affairs planned for end of indefinite detention weeks before landmark High Court ruling
Advice to then-Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil in the weeks before the November 2023 High Court ruling in NZYQ, which ended indefinite detention of non-deportable non-citizens, is almost entirely withheld. Visible fragments show O'Neil requested a policy "deep dive" on options if the Commonwealth lost, the ABF drafted an operations plan for releasing the plaintiff, and third-country removal approaches were made to Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia. Redactions: s.47C, s.33(a)(iii), s.22, s.47F, s.47E(d).
See the disclosure →
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HOME AFFAIRS
· % REDACTED 90%
Home Affairs sought Bangladesh, Saudi removal deals weeks
Home Affairs approached the Bangladeshi High Commission on 26 September 2023 and sent a Third Person Note to Saudi Arabia the next day seeking third-country removal for the plaintiff, six weeks before the High Court ruling ended indefinite immigration detention. Bangladesh confirmed no prospects. Officials also drafted an operations plan for potential release and briefed Minister O'Neil on release contingencies including parole conditions for detainees with criminal histories. Redactions: legal advice, international relations and deliberative content under s.22, s.33(a)(iii), s.42, s.47C, s.47E(d), s.47F.
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HOME AFFAIRS
· % REDACTED 40%
Digital replacement for paper arrival card won't be ready until 2028
A minute to ABF Commissioner Gavan Reynolds updates him on the Australia Travel Declaration, a digital version of the incoming passenger card being trialled with Qantas at Brisbane airport since October 2024. Over 135,000 declarations have been lodged. The trial will expand to Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide and Darwin through 2026, but full rollout across all airlines and seaports is not expected until early 2028. Ongoing costs of $450,000 a year from 2027/28 are unfunded. Redactions: s.47C, s.47G, s.22.
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HOME AFFAIRS
· % REDACTED 0%
Home Affairs holds no records on overclassification of government information
Home Affairs, which sets classification rules for the whole Australian government through the Protective Security Policy Framework, told an FOI applicant it holds no audits, no complaints from other agencies, and no data on how much government information is marked at each classification level. Redactions: none.
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HOME AFFAIRS
· % REDACTED 0%
Home Affairs doesn't track why some parent visas are fast-tracked
Home Affairs told an FOI applicant it holds no data on how many parents on a Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa have been allowed to have their application fast-tracked while still in Australia, and no record of the medical or compassionate reasons given. Policy only allows this where the parent is physically unable to leave, such as serious illness or a natural disaster. Reasons like cost, childcare or attending a wedding are ruled out. Redactions: none.
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HOME AFFAIRS
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Skilled worker visa form lists protest alongside terrorism
The paper-format application for the Skills in Demand (subclass 482) work visa asks applicants whether they have been associated with any organisation engaged in acts of violence, listing "war, insurgency, freedom fighting, terrorism, protest" together. The 21-page form also asks about military and paramilitary training, weapons and chemical or biological products training, and any agreement to pay employers for recruitment, travel or visa fees. Redactions: none.
See the disclosure →
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HOME AFFAIRS
· % REDACTED 5%
Home Affairs treats district office staffing as national security secret
The department withheld workpoint numbers for all 27 district offices, including Christmas Island, Port Hedland and Norfolk Island, under the national security exemption, while releasing the same figures for its 18 main offices. Home Affairs and its portfolio budgeted $217 million for property operating expenses in 2025-26 and occupies 79 sites nationwide, with Queensland the largest footprint at 33 operational sites reflecting the Border Force presence. Redactions: district office workpoints under s.33(a)(i).
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HOME AFFAIRS
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Dutton appointed Queensland's top law officers as Migration Act authorised officials
A one-page instrument signed by then Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton on 21 December 2017 revoked all existing authorised official appointments for Queensland under section 144 of the Migration Act and appointed the persons holding the offices of Queensland Attorney-General, Director of Public Prosecutions and Commissioner of Police in their place, for the purposes of Division 4 of Part 2 of the Act. Redactions: none.
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HOME AFFAIRS
· % REDACTED 80%
Citizenship ceremonies procedure released with most operational detail withheld
A 19-page procedure approved on 25 July 2025 sets out how Home Affairs and local councils organise citizenship ceremonies, including grouping approved applicants, keeping families together, sending planning reports to councils three to four weeks ahead, and issuing invitations. Most of the document, including the table of contents and the bulk of the procedural sections, is withheld. Redactions: s.22.
See the disclosure →
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FINANCE
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10 found · 7 recommended-read · 3 look
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FINANCE
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KPMG on $42m in Finance contracts, advising on Defence property divestments
KPMG holds 10 active contracts with the Department of Finance worth $42.7 million, according to AusTender data to 16 July 2026. The two largest recent awards, worth a combined $16.8 million, engage KPMG as strategic industry partner on Defence property divestments and were signed in March 2026. Other active work includes accounting services, actuarial advice for Comcover, debt advisory, a capability review and financial reporting models. Redactions: none.
See the disclosure →
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FINANCE
· % REDACTED 2%
Finance flagged KPMG board resignation and executive relationship to minister
Finance flagged as of most concern claims that former NSW premier Mike Baird resigned from the KPMG board over the firm's handling of whistleblower allegations raised by Senator Deb O'Neill in March, and that audit head Suzanne Bell is in a long-term relationship with chairman Martin Sheppard. An estimates brief tracked the department's ongoing engagement with the firm through the controversy. Redactions: s.22.
See the disclosure →
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FINANCE
· % REDACTED 2%
$166m GovAI Chat build anchors $225m APS AI Plan spend
An estimates brief detailed the $225.2 million APS AI Plan, including $166.4 million to Finance and the Digital Transformation Agency to build the GovAI platform and secure AI assistant GovAI Chat, which entered trials in April with ~5,000 public servants. As of 22 May, 42 of 178 Commonwealth entities had appointed Chief AI Officers ahead of a 30 June deadline. MOUs were signed with Anthropic and Microsoft. Redactions: s.22.
See the disclosure →
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FINANCE
· % REDACTED 5%
Coalition and crossbench MPs dominated taxpayer-funded AI chatbot subscriptions
Invoices show federal parliamentarians charged ChatGPT and Claude subscriptions to their office budgets, with Coalition and crossbench members accounting for 10 of the 12 named. Liberal senator Michaelia Cash's office paid $1,980 for an annual six-seat ChatGPT Business plan and Liberal senator Dave Sharma $1,650 for five seats, alongside eight others. Redactions: s.22.
See the disclosure →
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FINANCE
· % REDACTED 5%
Future Fund lifted Palantir stake to $196.6m amid controversy
The Future Fund increased its Palantir holdings to shares worth $196.6 million and its Elbit Systems holdings to shares worth $9.2 million in the six months to 31 December 2025, briefing notes prepared for May Senate estimates show. Redactions: nil.
See the disclosure →
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FINANCE
· % REDACTED 2%
Digital ads outstripped TV in $204m federal campaign spend
Federal campaign advertising totalled $204.1 million in 2024-25, with digital at $97.4 million eclipsing television at $59.3 million, according to a Budget Estimates brief. Spending for 2025-26 hit $106.1 million by end-March. Finance refused to disclose expenditure with individual media outlets, citing commercial sensitivity. Redactions: s.22.
See the disclosure →
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FINANCE
· % REDACTED 10%
Joyce and Bell COMCAR trip details withheld under law enforcement exemption
COMCAR trip records for Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce and Senator Sean Bell across late 2025 and early 2026 have been released with a series of destinations and passenger names withheld under s.37, the FOI Act's law enforcement exemption, rather than the s.22 personal privacy provision usually applied to parliamentarian travel details. Bell's Sydney trips in February and March 2026 have destinations blacked out. Some of Joyce's trips have passenger names withheld. Redactions: s.22, s.37.
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FINANCE
· % REDACTED 70%
Finance floated ban on APS airline lounge memberships and branded merch
Non-corporate Commonwealth entities would be banned from purchasing airline lounge memberships for staff from 1 July 2026, and blocked from promotional merchandise purchases unless sold for profit, under submissions to Finance Minister Katy Gallagher. SES lounge access embedded in remuneration would be phased out. Chairman's Lounge and MoP(S) Act staff are unaffected. Redactions: s.22, s.47C, s.34(3).
See the disclosure →
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FINANCE
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Finance brief cast data catalogue critic as commercial rival
An estimates brief defended the $16.5 million Australian Government Data Catalogue after media criticism, noting the figure also covered a pilot supporting 44 agencies. Finance told the minister that Sam Spencer, quoted in The Canberra Times criticising the catalogue's metadata, is promoting a rival "Unofficial" catalogue through his company Aristotle. The independent King Review separately found the underlying Act ineffective. Redactions: s.22.
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FINANCE
· % REDACTED 70%
Home Affairs kept legal claims exposure vague in 2026-27 Budget
Home Affairs pushed to keep language about its legal claims exposure vague in the 2026-27 Budget Statement of Risks, telling Finance it could not disclose specifics the way Defence does. The final published wording says only the department faces "a wide range of litigation and other claims for damages or compensation." Internal emails identify child migrant claims, Russian Federation matters and the NZYQ High Court test case as underlying exposures. Redactions: ss22, 47C, 47E(d).
See the disclosure →
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TREASURY
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7 found · 1 recommended-read · 6 look
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READ
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TREASURY
· % REDACTED 10%
Government actuary warns NDIS Budget forecast may be too low
The Australian Government Actuary has told the NDIA that the December 2025 scheme cost projection underpinning the 2026-27 Budget errs on the low side, citing higher-than-expected new entrants and slower-than-assumed inflation reductions from sustainability reforms. The reviewing actuary also flagged no allowance had been made for pending Fair Work Commission gender-based undervaluation decisions or for behavioural change as participants shift between support types. The release covers seven AGA letters from 2013 to February 2026. Redactions: s.22, s.47E, s.47F, s.47C.
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TREASURY
· % REDACTED 60%
First Investor Front Door slots: Nickel, hydrogen, jet fuel and e-trucks
Treasurer Jim Chalmers wrote to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on 20 January seeking sign-off on the first four pilot projects for the Investor Front Door: Ardea Resources' $3.1 billion Kalgoorlie nickel-cobalt project, CIP's $15.7 billion Murchison hydrogen play, HAMR Energy's biomass-to-jet fuel plants and New Energy Transport's electric trucking pilot. Since launch the scheme had drawn 33 enquiries and seven formal expressions of interest. Redactions: s.22, s.34(3), s.47C, s.47E(d), s.47F, s.47G.
See the disclosure →
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TREASURY
· % REDACTED 75%
Treasury called surge in risky first-home loans an 'expected' outcome of 5% deposit scheme
Treasury advice on the Government's 5% Deposit Scheme shows the share of new first home buyer loans with a loan-to-value ratio of 90 per cent or above rose sharply after the scheme's October 2025 expansion, from around 30 to nearly 50 per cent. Officials described the high-LVR increase as "the expected policy outcome". Senator Andrew Bragg pressed the RBA at estimates on whether the scheme was pushing up entry-level house prices. Redactions: s.22.
See the disclosure →
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TREASURY
· % REDACTED 60%
All 10 Reform Roundtable commitments on track or complete: Treasury
An internal February 2026 progress note reports significant delivery against the ten actions announced at the Treasurer's August 2025 Economic Reform Roundtable, including passage of the Environment Protection Reform Act, the Regulatory Reform Omnibus Bill, publication of 38 regulator letters, launch of the Investor Front Door pilot, and release of the APS AI Plan and National AI Plan. An accompanying Cabinet-classified status tracker was released with almost all commitment detail, timing and next-steps commentary withheld. Redactions: s.22.
See the disclosure →
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TREASURY
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Treasury classifies wide range of functions as core APS work
Treasury's declaration to the Strategic Commissioning Framework lists more than 20 functions as core work that must be delivered by Australian Public Service employees rather than outsourced. These span drafting cabinet submissions, legislation and regulation, economic modelling and forecasting, program delivery, procurement, communications, IT, HR, security, risk and governance. The framework, introduced to reduce APS reliance on consultants and contractors, requires agencies to identify functions that cannot be outsourced. Redactions: none.
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TREASURY
· % REDACTED 5%
Treasury analysed dividend income by age ahead of Budget
Treasury sought urgent ATO sense-checking in May 2026 on dividend income analysis for a budget product, working from ALife tax data. The count of taxfilers receiving dividend income has plateaued since 2000 at around 3.5 to 3.8 million, but with a sharp age split: declining for those under 55 and rising for those 65 and over. A separate ATO media enquiry recorded that no agency holds share ownership data. Redactions: s.22, s.47E, s.47F.
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TREASURY
· % REDACTED 85%
Treasury engaged Fortescue on proposal to cap fuel tax credits at $50 million
Treasury considered Fortescue's May 2025 report Incentivising Diesel Decarbonisation, which proposed capping the fuel tax credits scheme at $50 million per consolidated group and using the additional revenue to fund a new Transition Tax Incentive investing in mine electrification. Treasury noted more than 100,000 businesses claim fuel tax credits annually and that current settings do not favour diesel equipment over zero-emissions alternatives. Redactions: s.22.
See the disclosure →
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PM&C
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3 found · 1 recommended-read · 1 look
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PM&C
· % REDACTED 5%
Apple pitched PM California HQ visit after Tim Cook online safety call
Apple CEO Tim Cook wrote to Prime Minister Albanese on 5 June 2026 praising his online safety leadership and flagging upcoming Apple parental control announcements, securing a phone call days later. Apple's Australian government affairs lead then pitched Albanese visiting Apple Park in Cupertino during his September UN General Assembly trip. Redactions: names and contact details under s.22.
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PM&C
· % REDACTED 50%
Ex-ombudsman Penny McKay appointed to $486,400 defence suicide watchdog
Penelope McKay was appointed inaugural Commissioner of the Defence and Veterans' Service Commission from 1 June 2026 for a five-year term on around $486,000. Recruitment firm Beaumont & Beaumont assisted PM&C's selection panel, whose advisory report is almost entirely withheld. McKay, a lawyer, was previously Acting Commonwealth Ombudsman. Redactions: panel deliberations under s.47E(c), applicant details under s.47F.
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SKIP
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PM&C
· % REDACTED 95%
PM&C carried 25 to 44 overdue FOI requests through 2025
The department released 135 pages of internal weekly FOI compliance reports from January 2025 to May 2026 with almost all content blanked out as irrelevant. Fragments show 44 requests overdue in March 2025 and 25 overdue by late October, when 87.5 per cent of decisions were made within statutory timeframes. The attached weekly performance reports themselves are entirely redacted. Redactions: material withheld as outside scope under s.22.
See the disclosure →
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INDUSTRY
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6 found · 2 recommended-read · 4 look
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READ
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INDUSTRY
· % REDACTED 10%
Think tank urged Charlton to legalise AI training on copyrighted works
Think tank Good Ancestors had repeated contact with Andrew Charlton's office pitching an Australian AI Training Scheme that would give AI companies legal certainty to train on copyrighted material for a fee, with rights-holder opt-outs, data-centre obligations, and government-funded compensation for Australian creators. Charlton's office introduced the group to the Attorney-General's copyright team. Other correspondence urged an AI Safety Institute and synthetic DNA screening. Redactions: s.22, s.47C, s.47F, s.47G.
See the disclosure →
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INDUSTRY
· % REDACTED 5%
Space junk over Australia: Agency logs five re-entries in three years
The Australian Space Agency has responded to five space debris re-entries affecting Australian territory or nearby waters over three years, including the Peregrine lunar lander in January 2024, a Russian Soyuz-2 rocket over southeast Victoria, and Indian PSLV debris washed ashore at Jurien Bay in WA. Redactions: s 22.
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INDUSTRY
· % REDACTED 10%
Industry department locks in sweeping core roles list to curb outsourcing
DISR's implementation of the APS Strategic Commissioning Framework identifies a broad sweep of positions considered core to the department and unsuitable for contractors, consultants, or labour hire. The list covers policy, senior executive, ICT, HR, communications, finance, and science functions. A February 2026 review confirmed all roles identified in January 2024 remain core, with minor updates reflecting Job Family Framework changes. Redactions: s 22.
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INDUSTRY
· % REDACTED 15%
Union pressed King to back workers in historic BHP Pilbara strike
The Electrical Trades Union used a 13 May meeting with Resources Minister Madeleine King to press the government to publicly back unions' role in bargaining at BHP's Pilbara iron ore operations, where 42 workers had launched the region's first mine strike in nearly 30 years. Meeting notes show King's office affirmed unions had a legitimate role. A second meeting the same day covered wage support at the Liberty Bell Bay manganese smelter. Redactions: s.22.
See the disclosure →
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INDUSTRY
· % REDACTED 60%
Minister briefed on Fortescue fuel tax push before Labor think tank speech
King's briefing flagged Fortescue Metals Group's push to cap the Diesel Fuel Tax Credit at $50 million per consolidated group ahead of her address to a John Curtin Research Centre roundtable at KPMG Perth on 18 June. The mining giant's proposal, which would redirect revenue to a mine electrification tax incentive, has backing from teal crossbenchers, Labor's Environmental Action Network and the ACTU. The Greens want the scheme abolished. Redactions: s.22.
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INDUSTRY
· % REDACTED 60%
Brief prepped King for Perth lunch with Labor-aligned think tank
Resources Minister Madeleine King attended a John Curtin Research Centre Common Good 'Stronger Australia' roundtable at KPMG Perth on 18 June, hosted by JCRC executive director Nick Dyrenfurth and board member Priya Brown. The department's brief describes JCRC as a social democratic think tank aimed at shaping Labor ideas, and prepared King to address Fortescue's push to cap diesel fuel tax credits. Redactions: s.22.
See the disclosure →
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EDUCATION
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1 found · 1 recommended-read
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READ
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EDUCATION
· % REDACTED 30%
Education Minister waived NSW registration for $8.9m Hindu school approval
Education Minister Jason Clare approved Hindu Education and Cultural Centre Ltd as an approved authority on 4 November 2025, exempting it from NSW registration requirements to unlock $8.9 million in federal funding for a proposed Western Sydney Hindu school. The department dismissed 117 pages of objections from Periyar Ambedkar Thoughts Circle of Australia and Alliance Against Islamophobia. Redactions: deliberative content and personal information under s.47C, s.47E(d), s.47F, s.47G.
See the disclosure →
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OAIC
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3 found · 1 recommended-read · 2 look
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OAIC
· % REDACTED 10%
OAIC paid KPMG $300,000 during finance shift to Finance Department
The OAIC spent more than $300,000 on KPMG during a 2022 transition of its finance functions to the Department of Finance, including $81,400 for shared-services transition support, about $225,000 for documenting inadequate finance processes and a $39,375 accounting secondment amid staffing gaps. Internal records show only KPMG and Deloitte responded when the OAIC invited six firms to quote. Redactions: s.22, s.47E(d), s.47F, s.47G.
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OAIC
· % REDACTED 0%
Privacy regulator received 50 complaints against itself, none upheld
The OAIC recorded 50 formal privacy complaints about its own conduct since January 2019, none of which have resulted in a finding of breach. Of 36 closed matters, 21 were dismissed as showing no breach, five as not warranting investigation, and one as lacking substance. Five were withdrawn and four found to have been adequately dealt with. Fourteen remain open. Redactions: none.
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OAIC
· % REDACTED 55%
Information watchdog closed FOI reviews sought by bidder in corruption-referred procurement
The OAIC closed six FOI reviews brought by an unsuccessful procurement bidder whose complaint about the department's process had been upheld by the Australian National Audit Office, raised at Senate estimates and referred to the National Anti-Corruption Commission. The applicant sought to expedite and combine the reviews; the OAIC declined and closed them under s.54W(b) over the department's objection. Redactions: s.22, s.47E(d), s.47F, s.47G.
See the disclosure →
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ATTORNEY GENERAL
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3 found · 1 recommended-read · 1 look
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ATTORNEY GENERAL
· % REDACTED 50%
Anti-corruption watchdog took two goes to fill deputy role
The National Anti-Corruption Commission ran two recruitment rounds to fill its deputy commissioner ranks. A January 2023 panel recommended three candidates, but only Ben Gauntlett and Nicole Rose were nominated; the third name is redacted. A second round mid-2023 drew 50 applicants and ranked Victorian IBAC deputy Kylie Kilgour first. Redactions: s.22, s.34(3), s.47C, s.47E(c), s.47F.
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ATTORNEY GENERAL
· % REDACTED 80%
Attorney-General's Department template warns FOI applicants against refusing extensions
Internal email templates instruct FOI staff, when seeking extensions close to the statutory deadline, to warn applicants that refusing means losing the right to internal review if the request becomes deemed, and that refusal "is unlikely to result in your case being processed any faster." Redactions: s.22.
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SKIP
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ATTORNEY GENERAL
· % REDACTED 85%
Who inside AGD can exercise the Attorney-General's family law powers
Six delegation instruments signed between 2021 and 2026 list which departmental officers can act in the Attorney-General's place when exercising statutory powers. The released portions cover family law functions, including designating approved family counselling organisations, appointing case guardians and approving superannuation valuation methods, plus appointing the Inspector-General in Bankruptcy. Redactions: s.22 for delegations outside the scope of the request.
See the disclosure →
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DEWR
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1 found · 1 recommended-read
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READ
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DEWR
· % REDACTED 5%
Builders up, chefs down in migrant skills assessment data
Trades Recognition Australia data shows a sharp shift in skilled migration provisional skills assessments during 2025-26, with construction trades booming while chef assessments dropped from 16,611 to 11,109. Cabinetmaker assessments jumped from 95 to 781 and wall and floor tiler from 242 to 1,304, alongside near-doubling in carpenter registrations. Total assessments across ten occupations reached 21,389. Redactions: s 47F(1), s 11C(1)(a).
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ATO
· % REDACTED 35%
ATO tells Pride in Diversity FOI requests distressing LGBTI+ staff
The ATO's 2026 Australian Workplace Equality Index submission tells Pride in Diversity that media scrutiny and Freedom of Information requests about the agency's diversity programs are creating uncertainty and distress for LGBTI+ staff. An ATO reports 4.3 per cent LGBTI+ representation at senior leadership level and 4.5 per cent across the workforce. Redactions: s.22, s.47G.
See the disclosure →
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SKIP
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ATO
· % REDACTED 100%
ATO withholds myID app software inventory citing hacker risk
The ATO has refused to release a Software Bill of Materials for its myID Android identity app, arguing disclosure could facilitate targeted attacks. The applicant sought the SBOM in any standard format and invoked s17 to require the ATO to produce a current snapshot. Digital Identity Services generated the document but the decision-maker exempted it in full, citing integration with vulnerability data. Redactions: s.47E(d).
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ASIC
· % REDACTED 5%
Court redistributes commissioner duties as deputy chair search continues
New ASIC Chair Sarah Court told staff on 5 June she is redistributing commissioner responsibilities while awaiting a new Deputy Chair, with the Commission operating with four Commissioners. Alan Kirkland takes Enforcement and scams work; Kate O'Rourke retains Regulatory and takes on Council of Financial Regulators duties; Simone Constant continues leading Markets, ASX and superannuation. Court foreshadowed a broader conversation on ASIC's values and warned against normalising serious misconduct. Redactions: nil.
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SKIP
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ASIC
· % REDACTED 5%
Sweeping personal records request yields only AFCA-ASIC protocol
An individual sought records held in their name, trust deeds, company documents for eight related entities, ASIC's communications with third parties about them, annual reports since 2010, and the AFCA/ASIC memoranda of understanding. ASIC released only the four-page December 2023 supplementary protocol governing information sharing, licence cancellation consultation and material scheme changes between the two bodies. Officer contact details in the appendix were withheld. Redactions: s.47G.
See the disclosure →
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SERVICES AUSTRALIA
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1 found · 1 look
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LOOK
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SERVICES AUSTRALIA
· % REDACTED 40%
Agency spokesperson tasked with selling welfare reforms on talkback radio
The duty statement for Services Australia's Agency Spokesperson, an SES Band 2 role reporting to the Deputy CEO Strategy and Performance, tasks the position with "extensive and ongoing public education" on proposed welfare and budget reforms and building public confidence in the agency's ICT transformation, via talkback radio and social media. Redactions: s.22.
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LOOK
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ACNC
· % REDACTED 40%
Financials of deregistered youth mental health charity withheld
The ACNC released a partially redacted 2017 Annual Information Statement for Get Around It Youth Mental Health Foundation, a small NSW-based charity that ran depression, anxiety and suicide prevention activities across NSW and SA with 30 volunteers and no paid staff. All income statement and balance sheet figures were withheld. The board included chairperson Lawrence Whipper and directors Toni and Dylan Whitelaw. Redactions: s.22, s.47E(d).
See the disclosure →
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AGRICULTURE
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2 found · 1 look
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LOOK
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AGRICULTURE
· % REDACTED 95%
Consultants recommend reducing middle management in Agriculture comms branch
Management consultancy Bendelta delivered a May 2026 recommendations report on DAFF's Communication and Media Branch, released almost entirely redacted. The visible appendix shows the branch's current structure and notes an indicative future structure with a focus on reducing the middle management layer. Redactions: s.47E(d), s.22(1)(a)(ii).
See the disclosure →
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SKIP
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AGRICULTURE
· % REDACTED 100%
Agriculture withholds all 163 pages on software product use
DAFF released 163 pages across 11 documents responding to a request for records about the department's use of software products, with every page withheld in full. Exemptions applied span legal professional privilege, law enforcement, commercial information, personal privacy and agency operations, an unusual combination for a request framed around software use and one that points to litigation or investigation-related material rather than routine procurement records. Redactions: s.42, s.37(1), s.37(2), s.47(1), s.47E(d), s.47F(1).
See the disclosure →
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SKIP
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DFAT
· % REDACTED 90%
DFAT cancels PNG bridge design tender, will readvertise
A tender for detailed design of the Pangara Bridge in Papua New Guinea, part of DFAT's Transport Sector Support Program delivered by contractor DT Global, has been cancelled and will be readvertised under new procurement procedures. Redactions: s 22, s 47F, s 47G(1)(a), s 47G(1)(b).
See the disclosure →
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Quiet this rotation · no releases from HEALTH, DISABILITY, AGING, SOCIAL SERVICES, INFRASTRUCTURE, DEFENCE, VETERAN'S AFFAIRS, ACCC, APRA, AUSTRAC, AFP, AEC, RBA, CLIMATE, ENERGY etc.
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Same rotation Monday · 09:00 AEST
— ANI
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