|
RECORD RADAR · ROTATION 022
|
SUN 04 OCT 2026
|
|
— ROTATION 022 / 2026.10.04
Rotation 022 /035
|
|
The new FOI releases from Federal government departments and key agencies this week are summarised below. Notable this week: the NDIS is removing 498 people a week from the scheme, four times last year's rate, and nearly 80% are children under nine; the Education secretary authorised the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission to use childcare subsidy data for any of its purposes, not just fraud work; and the Inspector-General of the ADF scaled back an inquiry into whether special forces culture in Afghanistan should have warned commanders of alleged war crimes, to avoid compromising the Office of the Special Investigator. Key companies mentioned: NRMA (twice), CFMEU, Accenture, Unisys, DXC, Optus, Pangolin Associates, Channel 7 and Heritage Adventurer, alongside industry bodies and unions Ai Group, ACCI, BCA, COSBOA, Ventia, CyberCX, the Customer Owned Banking Association, and the NSW Rifle Association. Forwarded this email? You can subscribe here. To find out more about lodging FOI requests, head over to Right to Know. The initial summaries of the documents are produced by AI, but reviewed by humans. All feedback is welcome via reply email.
|
|
35
Found
|
07
Recommended-read
|
21
Look
|
20%
Avg redact
|
|
NDIS + NDIS COMMISSION
|
1 found · 1 recommended-read
|
| |
READ
·
NDIS + NDIS COMMISSION
· % REDACTED 5%
NDIS removals quadruple as children reassessed off disability scheme
The NDIS revoked an average of 498 participants' eligibility a week in early 2026, up from 116 a year earlier, as reassessments focused on children who entered through early intervention. Children under nine accounted for 79% of decisions. The executives' Budget Estimates briefs also show provider exits rising from 61 in 2021-22 to 245 in the nine months to March. Redactions: s.47G business affairs, s.47F personal privacy and s.47E(d) agency operations, mostly in the provider exits briefs.
See the disclosure →
|
|
CLIMATE & ENERGY
|
9 found · 3 recommended-read · 5 look
|
| |
READ
·
CLIMATE & ENERGY
· % REDACTED 0%
Biodiversity credit market had just one project by early 2026
The Nature Repair Market, the government's biodiversity credit scheme, had one method and one registered project nearly a year after its March 2025 launch, according to January 2026 presentation material. That project shares its site with a carbon credit project, but officials warn that letting biodiversity certificates count as development offsets under the EPBC reforms will block such stacking. Redactions: none.
See the disclosure →
|
| |
READ
·
CLIMATE & ENERGY
· % REDACTED 30%
Bowen approves cutting national EV charger network by a third
Climate Minister Chris Bowen in February agreed to shrink the NRMA's federally funded highway EV charging network from 117 sites to up to 80, cutting funding from $39.3m to $26.9m after the NRMA built only 43. The department rejected the NRMA's bid to drop 40 "uncommercial" sites, insisting on eight remote blackspots while accepting 300km gaps between chargers. Redactions: s.47G business affairs, s.47C deliberative material, s.47F personal privacy, s.22 irrelevant material.
See the disclosure →
|
| |
READ
·
CLIMATE & ENERGY
· % REDACTED 2%
Officials concede CSIRO report can't prove backed-up renewables cheapest
CSIRO's annual GenCost electricity cost report dropped its near-term cost estimate for renewables backed by storage, gas and transmission, and an energy department modeller told staff drafting Chris Bowen's media release that firmed renewables could no longer be called cheapest using GenCost. The modeller had urged CSIRO to restore the figure. Bowen's office requested its "typical framing", with media staff noting "we know what they want to say". Redactions: s.22 irrelevant material, s.47F personal privacy.
See the disclosure →
|
| |
LOOK
·
CLIMATE & ENERGY
· % REDACTED 10%
Businesses told before public that carbon neutral label would end
Planning documents show the department told Climate Active members, businesses certified under the government's carbon neutral label, that certification would end in a webinar on 24 July 2026, ahead of the Minister's announcement. Up to 1,000 members and consultants were expected, with consultation on the program's future opening straight afterwards. The three pages, released on internal review, are run sheets and a plan on a page. Redactions: s.22 irrelevant material, limited to staff names.
See the disclosure →
|
| |
LOOK
·
CLIMATE & ENERGY
· % REDACTED 65%
Heavily blacked-out files show how carbon capture won carbon credits
The 2021 sign-off letting carbon capture and storage projects earn carbon credits classed them as emissions avoidance rather than sequestration, avoiding any change to the law. A 2020 advisory committee paper notes such projects are rarely viable without regulation or extra financial incentives. Redactions: s.42 legal privilege, s.22 irrelevant material blanking whole pages, s.47F personal privacy over submitters' names, s.47C deliberative material.
See the disclosure →
|
| |
LOOK
·
CLIMATE & ENERGY
· % REDACTED 30%
Department armed officials to rebut Channel 7 "blood cobalt" claims
An officials' briefing written after a Channel 7 Spotlight report in April 2026 rebuts claims that renewable energy depends on cobalt from unethical mines. It says about 90% of large-scale and household batteries are now cobalt-free, and that the Clements Gap battery in SA, which Channel 7 said is owned by a Chinese state company, uses none. Redactions: s.22 irrelevant material, oddly blanking several whole pages of a short brief.
See the disclosure →
|
| |
LOOK
·
CLIMATE & ENERGY
· % REDACTED 15%
Green bank funds pine plantation on Tasmania's largest farm
The Clean Energy Finance Corporation put $69m into a $142m UK-led platform converting about half of Rushy Lagoon, Tasmania's largest farm, to pine plantation. Its talking points promise "over 70" jobs, though an earlier brief forecast about 10 direct roles during the growth phase. The CEFC told Bowen it could not meet a Senate deadline to produce documents. Redactions: s.45 breach of confidence, s.47 commercially valuable information, s.42 legal privilege oddly covering email recipients, s.22 irrelevant material.
See the disclosure →
|
| |
LOOK
·
CLIMATE & ENERGY
· % REDACTED 40%
Government deletes carbon neutral program's company success stories
The climate department told businesses in August it would remove the Climate Active website's stories page, which showcased companies certified carbon neutral under the government program, keeping copies only in departmental records. Despite a request covering seven years of certification communications, the release centres on one featured member, consultancy Pangolin Associates, plus an internal guide to producing case studies. Most of a longer draft is withheld. Redactions: s.22 irrelevant material.
See the disclosure →
|
| |
SKIP
·
CLIMATE & ENERGY
· % REDACTED 98%
NRMA's confidential report on EV charging rollout almost entirely withheld
A confidential NRMA report on lessons from building its national electric vehicle charging network under the federal Driving the Nation Fund has been withheld almost in full. The only visible figure puts the average build cost of a federally specified charging site at $350,000. Redactions: s.47 commercially valuable information.
See the disclosure →
|
|
RBA
|
1 found · 1 recommended-read
|
| |
READ
·
RBA
· % REDACTED 15%
Reserve Bank's negative equity figures miss most 5% deposit buyers
The Reserve Bank's negative equity estimates miss most borrowers in the expanded 5% deposit scheme, an internal September note says, because new loans take about 18 months to appear in its data and are more likely to be underwater. Staff estimate under 1% of borrowers owe more than their home is worth. They also estimate prices would need to fall about 17% to get back to 2019's level of roughly 2%. Redactions: s.45 breach of confidence over one chart comparing its data with bank reporting; several bullet points and staff names removed with no codes marked.
See the disclosure →
|
|
EDUCATION
|
1 found · 1 recommended-read
|
| |
READ
·
EDUCATION
· % REDACTED 35%
Crime commission cleared to use childcare data for any purpose
Education secretary Tony Cook authorised the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission in August 2024 to use childcare subsidy data for any of its purposes, not just Fraud Fusion Taskforce work. Earlier certificates let the department share provider and individual records, including suspected fraud and criminal investigations, with the AFP and 17 taskforce agencies. Redactions: s.37 law enforcement methods and s.47E agency operations, both hiding which data is shared; s.42 legal privilege; s.22 irrelevant material.
See the disclosure →
|
|
DEWR
|
5 found · 1 recommended-read · 2 look
|
| |
READ
·
DEWR
· % REDACTED 1%
Brief flags missing SRL business case as Victoria seeks $9.3b
Victoria asked the Commonwealth in September 2025 for another $9.3 billion for Suburban Rail Loop East, lifting federal funding from $2.2 billion to a third of the $34.5 billion cost. The Prime Minister then committed extra money, to be settled in the 2026-27 Budget, while the brief flags no detailed business case and Victoria not supplying all information Infrastructure Australia requested. Redactions: s.22 irrelevant material.
See the disclosure →
|
| |
LOOK
·
DEWR
· % REDACTED 30%
CyberCX wins $4.99m women-in-cyber grant; rival applicants withheld
CyberCX won $4.99 million for its Cyber5050 women-in-cyber project from a Building Women's Careers stream where 10 of 38 applicants shared exactly the $45 million available. The department judged proposals focused only on attracting women poorer value for money. Briefs for two ministerial appearances with CyberCX are included. Redactions: s.22 irrelevant material, s.47F personal privacy, s.47G business affairs, which blanks the entire list of unsuccessful and ineligible applicants across seven pages.
See the disclosure →
|
| |
LOOK
·
DEWR
· % REDACTED 75%
Labor plans new court for workplace disputes; business groups told first
Two FOI releases detail the lead-up to the federal government's plan for a new specialist court to hear workplace disputes, announced on 23 July 2026. The department briefed the employment minister on the idea nine times from January 2024. That morning Amanda Rishworth gave Ai Group, ACCI, BCA and COSBOA an 8am Teams heads-up, pitching faster, cheaper dispute resolution. Redactions: s.34 Cabinet documents covering six of 11 pages, s.22 irrelevant material, s.47F personal privacy.
See the disclosure →
|
| |
SKIP
·
DEWR
· % REDACTED 5%
CFMEU invited Rishworth to boardroom renaming, then postponed it
The CFMEU's NSW branch invited Employment Minister Amanda Rishworth to its Pyrmont office for the renaming of its boardroom after Tom McDonald, credited with helping create the union, in a ceremony to be performed by Bill Kelty and Sally McManus. Three days later the event was postponed because a speaker was unavailable. The release contains no reply from the minister. Redactions: s.47F personal privacy.
See the disclosure →
|
| |
SKIP
·
DEWR
· % REDACTED 2%
Industry department trialling AI for grant eligibility and compliance checks
The department lists 19 AI uses, including early-stage tools to screen grant applications for eligibility and check applicants' compliance risks, plus general AI agents already operating. Most entries are flagged as able to materially influence decisions affecting people or organisations, yet every rated use is assessed low residual risk and six have no rating at all. Redactions: s.22 irrelevant material, oddly applied to three owner names while others are left visible.
See the disclosure →
|
|
HOME AFFAIRS
|
1 found · 1 look
|
| |
LOOK
·
HOME AFFAIRS
· % REDACTED 1%
Visa applicants must clear Commonwealth debts first, Home Affairs instruction says
Home Affairs officers must refuse visas to applicants with unpaid Commonwealth debts unless the debt is paid in full or covered by an approved instalment plan, under a procedural instruction on public interest criterion 4004. Written-off debts still count against applicants, who are not told of write-offs, and officers can demand full payment even where a plan exists. Redactions: s.11C disclosure log exclusion.
See the disclosure →
|
| |
LOOK
·
PM&C
· % REDACTED 0%
Outsourcing human services failing to deliver savings, PM&C report finds
A PM&C long-term insights report finds outsourcing human services has not delivered the efficiencies expected and produces poorer outcomes for people with complex needs. Drawing on more than 8,500 Australians, it names health, aged care and the NDIS as the biggest long-term budget pressures and urges government to move from managing markets to stewarding the whole system, with more spending on prevention. Redactions: none visible in the published copy.
See the disclosure →
|
| |
LOOK
·
PM&C
· % REDACTED 5%
PM&C, Archives can't find 1984 file on UK constitutional links
A 1984 PM&C file on Australia's residual constitutional links to the UK cannot be found after a researcher sought access under the Archives Act in December 2025. PM&C borrowed it from the National Archives in 2005 and its records suggest a 2010 return, but neither agency can locate it; a PM&C records officer called the paper trail "strange" and "very confusing". Redactions: s.22 irrelevant material, s.47E agency operations.
See the disclosure →
|
| |
SKIP
·
PM&C
· % REDACTED 5%
PM&C advisers thank military for submarine, warship and aircraft tours
PM&C national security and AUKUS staff toured a Collins-class submarine, an Anzac frigate and Wedgetail and Poseidon surveillance aircraft, and flew over Sydney Harbour Bridge in an MRH90 helicopter, according to thank-you letters senior officials sent between 2016 and 2026. Officials said the visits would inform advice on Navy's future fleet, the AUKUS transition and the Collins life extension, and staff called one trip a career highlight. Redactions: s.22 irrelevant material, s.47F personal privacy.
See the disclosure →
|
|
TREASURY
|
1 found · 1 look
|
| |
LOOK
·
TREASURY
· % REDACTED 40%
Mutual banks warned rushed guarantee changes would favour majors
The Customer Owned Banking Association warned Treasury in June 2023 that rushing expanded Home Guarantee Scheme eligibility would hand major banks a head start, as the 50 per cent cap on their share of places was also being scrapped. It flagged loose drafting that could let a borrower qualify for the regional guarantee after one day in the area. Redactions: s.47F personal privacy, s.22 irrelevant material.
See the disclosure →
|
| |
LOOK
·
ASIC
· % REDACTED 20%
ASIC hides enforcement AI tools, approved others after deployment
ASIC's internal register lists 68 AI use cases, but names and descriptions of most enforcement and markets tools are withheld, including one rated high risk. Several tools already in operation, including enforcement image processing, received only retrospective approval from ASIC's AI board in July 2026. Others in development would screen job applicants' CVs and power a public Moneysmart chatbot. Redactions: s.37(2)(b) investigative methods, s.47F personal privacy, s.47C deliberative material.
See the disclosure →
|
| |
LOOK
·
DEFENCE
· % REDACTED 10%
Inquiry into special forces culture curtailed over war crimes probe
The Inspector-General of the ADF scaled back a 2021 inquiry into whether special forces culture in Afghanistan should have alerted commanders to alleged war crimes. His assistants said they could not examine those warning signs without interviewing witnesses, so Inspector-General James Gaynor halted that strand to avoid compromising the Office of the Special Investigator. Redactions: s.22 irrelevant material, s.47F personal privacy.
See the disclosure →
|
| |
SKIP
·
DEFENCE
· % REDACTED 1%
Defence's superseded long service leave rules for civilian staff
Defence has released its long service leave policy and guidance for public servants, both stamped as superseded by the 2024 enterprise agreement and awaiting review. The guidance lets Defence change approved leave dates for operational reasons without the employee's consent, and recall staff from leave while covering reasonable costs such as airfares. Redactions: one email address, no exemption cited.
See the disclosure →
|
|
SOCIAL SERVICES
|
1 found · 1 look
|
| |
LOOK
·
SOCIAL SERVICES
· % REDACTED 40%
NT ministers absent from four straight community services meetings
NT ministers missed all four Community Services Ministers' meetings between July 2024 and July 2026, with Robyn Cahill, whose portfolio includes child protection, declining the last three and sending a departmental chief executive to two. NSW and Victorian ministers attended every meeting, while Queensland's women's minister declined a February 2026 joint session on family violence. Redactions: s.22 irrelevant material.
See the disclosure →
|
|
AGRICULTURE
|
3 found · 3 look
|
| |
LOOK
·
AGRICULTURE
· % REDACTED 10%
Agriculture department warns ageing IT systems are raising cyber risk
The agriculture department's 2026-27 digital investment plan warns ageing systems and accumulating technical debt are driving up support costs and cyber risk, with limited funding for upkeep. It lists nearly 30 core biosecurity, export and corporate systems and says outsourcing contracts with Accenture, Unisys, DXC and Optus are under review. Its 10-year timeline of planned system replacements is withheld. Redactions: s.47D Commonwealth financial interests, s.47E agency operations.
See the disclosure →
|
| |
LOOK
·
AGRICULTURE
· % REDACTED 0%
Agriculture department uses AI to help audit food exporters
The agriculture department is running eight AI tools, including one that analyses photos and videos from low-risk dairy, egg and fish exporters to help auditors judge compliance, subject to human review. Others track public social media sentiment for reputational risk, forecast locust plagues and extract data from import treatment certificates. A customer feedback pilot records the government's AI technical standard as not applied. Redactions: none.
See the disclosure →
|
| |
LOOK
·
AGRICULTURE
· % REDACTED 5%
Exotic ants confine cruise passengers aboard during Kimberley voyage
Biosecurity officers found big-headed ants, an exotic species posing unacceptable risk, aboard the expedition cruise ship Heritage Adventurer in Darwin in July, refusing its release and banning landings at 10 Kimberley sites until a follow-up inspection in Broome. The operator's owner protested he was never told landings would be stopped. One official noted ants had been found on the vessel before. Redactions: s.22 irrelevant material, s.47E agency operations, s.47F personal privacy.
See the disclosure →
|
|
INDUSTRY
|
1 found · 1 look
|
| |
LOOK
·
INDUSTRY
· % REDACTED 2%
Industry department trials AI for grant eligibility and compliance checks
The industry department is developing AI tools to assess grant eligibility, vet applicants for compliance risks and summarise consultation submissions, among 19 uses on its internal register. It flags 12 as materially influencing decisions affecting people or organisations, yet six, including the grant eligibility tool and an agentic AI system already in operation, carry no risk rating. Redactions: s.22 irrelevant material, oddly used for a few owner names while others appear in full.
See the disclosure →
|
|
VETERAN'S AFFAIRS
|
1 found · 1 look
|
| |
LOOK
·
VETERAN'S AFFAIRS
· % REDACTED 0%
Veterans' Affairs staff took 653 business class flights in 22 months
Veterans' Affairs staff took 7,841 flights between January 2024 and October 2025, 653 of them business class, including 112 international business trips. The department also paid for 253 flights for non-staff such as ex-service forum members and foreign delegations, 13 in business. Some totals in the table do not add up. Redactions: none.
See the disclosure →
|
| |
LOOK
·
ATO
· % REDACTED 45%
How the ATO handles taxpayers hit by identity theft
Two internal ATO procedures show how call centre staff manage taxpayers whose identities have been compromised. A security flag on these records can stop people lodging returns, viewing their online account, linking to myGov or applying for an ABN until staff temporarily lift it, though tax agents can now access pre-fill data without that step. Redactions: s.47E agency operations, s.22 irrelevant material.
See the disclosure →
|
| |
LOOK
·
ACCC
· % REDACTED 10%
Watchdog cleared plan forcing carbon neutral applicants onto approved consultants
The competition watchdog in 2019 cleared an environment department plan to make businesses seeking carbon neutral certification hire consultants from a department-run register. ACCC staff vetted a draft before lodgement, then found the scheme unlikely to substantially lessen competition, so never weighed public detriment, which the department had listed as nil. Redactions: staff names and contact details, plus most of the ACCC's competition analysis, with no exemption codes marked.
See the disclosure →
|
| |
SKIP
·
ACCC
· % REDACTED 50%
Competition watchdog targets $658,000 saving by bringing contractor work in-house
The ACCC set a 2024-25 target to bring four full-time contractor roles in-house, saving $658,514. This was under the public service framework that requires agencies to stop outsourcing core work. Two procurement roles account for $431,831, alongside one digital platforms regulation role and one insurance analyst. A second document lists the core job functions of the ACCC and the energy regulator. Redactions: five of eight pages in the first document entirely blacked out, oddly with no exemption codes marked.
See the disclosure →
|
| |
SKIP
·
FINANCE
· % REDACTED 5%
Rifle association sought to exceed five-day weekly cap at Malabar
The NSW Rifle Association asked Finance's facilities contractor Ventia in January 2025 for a special variation to the five-day weekly limit on shooting at the Finance-managed ANZAC Rifle Range in Malabar, so it could stage nine consecutive days of championships in June. Later schedules show the event went ahead. Most of the release is routine shooting calendars sent to National Parks for public notice. Redactions: s.22 irrelevant material.
See the disclosure →
|
|
Quiet this rotation · no releases from HEALTH, APRA, AUSTRAC, AFP, SERVICES AUSTRALIA, IP AUSTRALIA, ACNC, OAIC, AEC.
|
|
If someone in your world would find FOI Weekly useful, please forward it to them.
Same rotation Monday · 09:00 AEST
— ANI
|
|