QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

Senator LAMBIE (Tasmania) (14:24): My question is for the Minister representing the Attorney-General, Minister Farrell. The Albanese government came to office promising greater transparency and a promise to sweep away the culture of secrecy. The rate of FOI requests granted full access—that means with nothing blacked out—has dropped to just 25 per cent.

At the same time, independent reviews have found that more than half of FOI blackouts were actually not legally justified. This is a serious deterioration in transparency and accountability in your government. What mandatory training requirements must FOI decision-makers meet to ensure that they understand the FOI Act and that they don't deny access to information we are legally entitled to?