The Albanese Government has been labelled more secretive than the Morrison Government – and we know why.

For too long, ministers and senior public servants have abused process to deny and delay freedom of information requests, such as refusing access to documents from former ministers and spuriously claiming that public servants would fail to give “frank and fearless” advice if that advice were publicly disclosed.

The Labor Government’s proposed changes to freedom of information laws threatened to further entrench a culture of secrecy and make citizens pay for it - but these changes were dumped in March after facing backlash from civil society and across the political spectrum, including more than 25,000 Australians signing this petition. Together we helped build the pressure to defeat this bill and protect our right to know what is done in our name.

Now we need to continue – and work towards shifting the national debate toward open government, and away from secrecy. 

Australians have a right to access government information and to understand how decisions are made on their behalf.

✍️ Add your name to the petition now to call on the Albanese Government to end government secrecy.

Controversial FOI bill withdrawn:

• In March 2026, the Albanese Government pulled its controversial freedom of information (FOI) bill that would have limited Australians’ right to access Government information - after facing backlash from Liberal, National, Greens and Independent Senators and civil society.
• The bill went directly against the findings of the Robodebt Royal Commission, which recommended more openness around Cabinet documents – not less. The Government planned to ban anonymous requests, charge fees on FOI requests and make government documents harder to access.
• The Australia Institute fact-checked the Government’s sensational claims about FOI and we found they didn’t add up, as well as detailed research showing how bad FOI has gotten under the Albanese Government. 
• We worked alongside civil society groups like the Grata Fund and Human Rights Law Centre and transparency advocates Rex Patrick to raise awareness. And 25,000 Australians signed this petition calling for a more open government, including fixing the FOI scheme, protecting whistleblowers and disclosing Cabinet documents in days, not years.
• Together we have helped build the pressure to defeat this bill and protect our right to know what is done in our name.
• Now we need to continue – and work towards shifting the national debate toward open government, and away from secrecy. 

Australia Institute research into Freedom of Information laws: 

• Only 21% of 2023-24 FOI requests were granted in full compared to 81% in 2006-07.
• Whereas the average request once took 13 hours to determine (2006-07), it now takes 51 hours (2023-24). In other words, the Albanese government employs four public servants to do what only took one public servant under the Howard government.
• If the Albanese government achieved the Howard government’s cost-per-FOI-request ratio, taxpayers would save $61 million per year.
• The Robodebt Royal Commission recommended making cabinet documents subject to freedom of information requests but the government’s changes would instead make it even harder to access cabinet-related documents.

Read more here.

Six ideas to fix Australia’s secrecy problem:

The Australia Institute’s inaugural 2024 Transparency Summit brought together experts, whistleblowers and those working to ensure the interests of all Australians are represented in our policy-making process. Here are six big ideas that came out of it:

1. Public hearings in the National Anti-Corruption Commission
2. Rewards for whistleblowers
3. Establishing a Whistleblower Protection Authority
4. Refining freedom of information and secrecy laws
5. Truth-telling
6. Protecting public interest journalism

Read more here.