The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) has been forced to intervene in a Freedom of Information (FOI) request involving the office of Government Services Minister Bill Shorten.
In an extraordinary development, the OAIC has rejected a request by Services Australia to extend the processing of an FOI request, finding that Minister Shorten’s office had still not responded to consultation requests by 28 July 2023.
Manager of Opposition Business in the House and Shadow Minister for Government Services and the Digital Economy Paul Fletcher said the blatant disregard for the FOI deadline demonstrates that Mr Shorten would prefer to play politics than focus on doing his job.
“I submitted an FOI to Services Australia on 6 June concerning documents in relation to the Minister’s portfolio, as provided by the agency to the Minister’s office for Question Time on 1 June 2023,” Mr Fletcher said.
“Rather than respond to this simple request, Services Australia applied to the OAIC for an extension of time.
“When the OAIC had a look, they rejected the extension request. OAIC makes clear the reason for the delay. Mr Shorten’s office refused to give a response to Services Australia in the available time.
“FOIs play an important role in our democracy and for a Minister’s office to get in the way is disappointing and concerning.”
Mr Fletcher said these revelations follow evidence Mr Shorten has failed to respond to 275 Questions on Notice relating to his portfolio following the most recent round of Senate Estimates.
“Mr Shorten is a serial offender when it comes to missing deadlines, with the Australian people being treated like mugs,” Mr Fletcher said.