Information Commissioner anticipates more staff needed as FOI requests continue to grow

Information Commissioner Angelene Falk fronted a Senate estimates committee on Thursday evening, detailing the office's challenges as it prepares to welcome a new FOI commissioner and three additional staff members following a commitment in the recent federal budget.

Ms Falk said the office had success with its early resolution program, which helps to triage requests, but was still struggling to account for its historical backlog along with incoming requests.

While 58 per cent of cases received in 2021 had been resolved within four months, cases stuck with the office for more than 12 months had grown by 40 per cent and those that had been in the queue for more than two years had doubled.

The federal budget, handed down in early May, allocated an additional $1 million in funding for the new roles along with $3.5 million as part of the government's Digital Economy Strategy.

But despite the additional resources, Ms Falk warned senators it would likely not be enough to deal with excessive backlog plaguing the office for years.

"I think that the appointment of the commissioner and the additional three staff will go some way to assist in the workload management issues," Ms Falk said on Thursday evening.

"But I do think that we will require some additional staffing if we are to resolve those older cases in a more timely manner."

READ MORE:

Two months earlier, independent senator Rex Patrick queried Ms Falk on how she foresaw completing the office's compounding workload.

An answered question on notice had revealed the office was equipped to handle around 829 requests each year but was asked to review 1066 applications in 2020.

This year, it was expected the figure would increase to 1226 requests, and to 1410 and 1622 requests in subsequent years - all while remaining at the 829 capacity figure.

Ms Falk admitted the office would find the task difficult without the government committing additional resources.

"I do hold the view that without some additional resources, it will be difficult," Ms Falk said.

"The office will continue to be challenged in terms of having that backlog, and having those older matters, despite our best efforts."

She added the agency had been working as fast as it could and had looked to different strategies, such as training and workshops, to make processes more efficient.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: