Our reference: FOI 25/26-2418 [LEXD 18372]
GPO Box 700 Canberra ACT 2601 1800 800 110 12 May 2026 ndis.gov.au
David Wright
By email: foi+request-14469-8b2247fb@righttoknow.org.au
Dear David Wright
Freedom of Information request — Notice of Decision
Thank you for your correspondence of 13 March 2026, seeking access under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) to documents held by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA).
The purpose of this letter is to provide you with a decision on your request.
Scope of your request
You have requested access to the following documents:
“Please provide copies of the following documents:
- Standard Operating Procedure: Resolved by Consent.
- Standard Operating Procedure: Closing an ART Matter.
- Standard Operating Procedure: Reviewing the Matter
- Standard Operating Procedure: Alternative Dispute Resolution
- Review of the National Disability Insurance Scheme Decisions Practice Direction.
- Decision Making Authority for Case Managers
- Case Management Guide: Decision Making
- Dispute Resolution Policy
If there are multiple versions of any of these documents, please provide me with only the most recent version.
If any of these documents are still in draft form (i.e. yet to be approved), please provide me with the most recent draft version.”
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On 9 April 2026 you confirmed via email that ‘Review of the National Disability Insurance Scheme Decisions Practice Directions’ could be removed from the scope of your request.
Processing Timeframes
The FOI Act provides 30 calendar days for the processing of an FOI request after it is received. As your valid FOI request was received on 13 March 2026, the original due date for your request was 12 April 2026.
On 10 April 2026, you agreed via email to a 30-day extension of time under section 15AA of the FOI Act, making 12 May 2026 the new date to provide you with a decision on access.
Searches conducted
Searches were conducted by the following business area for documents relevant to the scope of your FOI request:
- Performance Policy and Quality Team in the Information Access and Privacy Branch
As a result of this search, seven (7) documents were located, this search was undertaken between 18 March and 20 March 2026 and was overseen by senior staff.
Decision
I am the authorised officer pursuant to section 23(1) of the FOI Act to make a decision on this FOI request.
I have decided to:
- Grant access in full to 7 documents
The decision in relation to each document is detailed in the schedule of documents at Attachment A.
Rights of review
Your rights to seek a review of my decision, or lodge a complaint, are set out at Attachment B.
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Should you have any enquiries concerning this matter, please do not hesitate to contact me by email at foi@ndis.gov.au.
Yours sincerely
Patrick (PHO293) Senior Freedom of Information Officer Information Access and Privacy Branch Reviews and Information Release Division
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Attachment A
Schedule of Documents for FOI 25/26-2418
| Document number | Page number | Description | Access Decision | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1-20 | Standard Operating Procedure: Resolved by Consent Date: 30 October 2025 |
FULL ACCESS | |
| 2 | 21-29 | Standard Operating Procedure: Closing an ART Matter Date: 30 October 2025 |
FULL ACCESS | |
| 3 | 30-43 | Standard Operating Procedure: Reviewing the Matter Date: 30 October 2025 |
FULL ACCESS | |
| 4 | 44-56 | Standard Operating Procedure: Dispute Resolution Date: 30 October 2025 |
FULL ACCESS | |
| 5 | 57-59 | Decision-Making Authority for Case Managers Date: 3 March 2026 |
FULL ACCESS | |
| 6 | 60-63 | Case Management Guide: Decision Making Date: October 2025 |
FULL ACCESS | |
| 7 | 64-66 | DRAFT Guiding Principles – NDIA Dispute Resolution Policy Date: March 2026 |
FULL ACCESS |
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Attachment B
Freedom of Information request – Your review rights
Internal review
The FOI Act gives you the right to apply for an internal review of this decision. The review will be conducted by a different person to the person who made the original decision.
If you wish to seek an internal review of the decision, you must apply for review, in writing, within 30 days of receiving this letter.
No particular form is required for an application for internal review, but to assist the review process, you should clearly outline your grounds for review (that is, the reasons why you disagree with the decision). Applications for internal review can be lodged by email to foi@ndis.gov.au, or sent by post to:
Freedom of Information Section Information Access and Privacy Branch Reviews and Information Release Division National Disability Insurance Agency GPO Box 700 CANBERRA ACT 2601
Review by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner
The FOI Act also gives you the right to apply for the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) to seek a review of this decision.
If you wish to have the decision reviewed by OAIC, you may apply for the review in writing, or by using the online merits review application form which is available on the OAIC’s website, within 60 days of receiving this letter: OAIC Review Application Form.
Applications for review can be lodged with the OAIC in the following ways:
- Online: OAIC Review Application Form
- Post: Office of the Australian Information Commissioner GPO Box 5218 SYDNEY NSW 2001
- Email: enquiries@oaic.gov.au
- Phone: 1300 363 992 (local call charge)
- Website: www.oaic.gov.au
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Complaints to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner or the Commonwealth Ombudsman
You may complain to either the Commonwealth Ombudsman or the OAIC about the actions taken by the NDIA in relation to your request. The Ombudsman will consult with the OAIC before investigating a complaint about the handling of an FOI request.
Your complaint to the OAIC can be directed to the contact details provided above.
Your complaint to the Ombudsman can be directed to:
Phone: 1300 362 072 (local call charge) Email: ombudsman@ombudsman.gov.au
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