OAIC review highlights opportunities to strengthen transparency

The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner published the findings of a disclosure log review on 7 August 2026, examining the disclosure logs of 30 Australian Government agencies against the publication obligations in section 11C of the Freedom of Information Act 1982 and the OAIC's FOI guidelines. The review found that agency disclosure logs were largely compliant overall, but that 20 of the 30 agencies examined, around 67 per cent, had not published all disclosure log entries within the statutory timeframe during the 2024 to 2025 financial year. The OAIC was unable to assess timeliness compliance for a further four agencies.

The Act generally requires agencies to publish information released in response to a Freedom of Information request on their disclosure log within 10 working days of giving access to the applicant, so that the wider community can access eligible government information in a timely manner. FOI Commissioner Alice Linacre said disclosure logs support open government by making released information available beyond the original applicant, and that while overall compliance was strong, agencies could improve the timeliness, accessibility and usability of their disclosure logs.

The review also noted that most agencies had adopted better-practice features recommended in the FOI Guidelines, such as searchable, filterable disclosure logs with clear descriptions of released material in accessible formats. The OAIC's recommendations focus on improving accessibility and searchability, keeping disclosure logs up to date including after internal review processes, and strengthening reporting and governance arrangements supporting compliance.

This review concerns Australian Government agencies subject to the Freedom of Information Act rather than private sector organisations, and the Act's broader Australian Privacy Principles obligations, including privacy policies and collection notices, are not the subject of this particular review.