Our reference: FOI 25/26-0745 [LEXD 9782]
GPO Box 700 Canberra ACT 2601 1800 800 110
23 April 2026 ndis.gov.au
Jessica Hargreaves
By email: foi+request-13682-09064c06@righttoknow.org.au
Dear Jessica Hargreaves
Freedom of Information request — Notice of Decision
Thank you for your correspondence of 21 September 2025, 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:
“…The current organisational chart of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) / National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), showing the structure of divisions, branches, and functions.
For each division or function listed in the organisational chart, the name of the responsible Director.
For each branch within the NDIA, the name of the responsible Branch Manager.
I am seeking the most up-to-date version of this information available at the time of processing this request….“
Timeframe
A 30-day statutory period for processing your request commenced from 22 September 2025 in accordance with section 15(5)(b) of the FOI Act. The due date for a decision on access was 21 October 2025. I note this time has lapsed and as a result we are deemed to have refused your request under section 15AC of the FOI Act.
1
Despite this, I have continued to process your application. I apologise for the delay and
confirm that you retain your right to seek external review of this decision.
Search efforts
The FOI Guidelines provide that agencies and ministers should undertake a reasonable
search on a flexible and common-sense interpretation of the terms of the request. At a
minimum, an agency is required to have regard to the following in undertaking these
searches:
- the subject matter of the documents
- the current and past file management systems
- the record management systems in place
- the individuals and line areas within an agency or minister’s office who may be able to assist with the location of documents, and
- the age of the documents.
Having regard to these Guidelines, I engaged in search consultations with the following
internal business area to obtain documents within their possession which may fall within the
scope of your FOI request:
- Workplace Conditions & SES Services.
I advise that senior staff in the business area conducted searches for the documents and
have located 1 document relevant to the scope of your request.
Decision on access to documents
I am authorised to make decisions under section 23(1) of the FOI Act. My decision on your
request and the reason for my decision is set out below.
I have identified 1 document, which falls within the scope of your request.
I have decided to grant access to 1 document in part.
In reaching my decision, I took the following into account:
- your correspondence outlining the scope of your request
- the nature and content of the documents falling within the scope of your request
- the FOI Act
- the FOI Guidelines published under section 93A of the FOI Act
- consultation with relevant NDIA staff
- factors relevant to my assessment of whether or not disclosure would be in the public interest
- the NDIA’s operating environment and functions.
Reasons for decision
Personal privacy (section 47F)
Section 47F of the FOI Act conditionally exempts a document(s) if its disclosure would
involve the unreasonable disclosure of personal information about any person (including a
deceased person).
I have identified material in the documents falling within scope of your request which
contains personal information of a third party / third parties.
Under section 47F(2) of the FOI Act, in determining whether the disclosure of documents
would involve unreasonable disclosure of personal information, regard must be had to:
a. the extent to which the information is well known;
b. whether the person to whom the information relates is known to be (or to have been) associated with the matters dealt with in the document;
c. the availability of the information from publicly accessible sources; and
d. any other matters that the agency considers relevant.
Against these criteria, I take the view that:
a. it is apparent from the information that an individual is identifiable; and
b. the information referred to above is not readily available from publicly accessible sources.
With reference to the assessment above, it would be unreasonable to disclose publicly this
personal information and is therefore conditionally exempt under section 47F(1) of the FOI
Act.
Public interest considerations – section 47F
Section 11A(5) of the FOI Act provides that access to a document covered by a conditional
exemption must be provided unless disclosure would be contrary to the public interest.
I have not considered any of the irrelevant factors as set out under section 11B(4) of the FOI
Act in making this decision.
In favour of disclosure, I have considered the factors outlined in section 11B(3) of the FOI
Act, and I have determined that disclosure of the relevant information in Document 1 would
promote the objects of the FOI Act by providing access to documents held by the
government and providing access to information.
Against disclosure, I consider that disclosure of the relevant information in Document 1:
- would not contribute to the publication of information of sufficient public interest to justify the likely harm caused by release
- would not enhance Australia’s representative democracy in the ways described in section 11B(3) of the FOI Act
- would not inform any debate on a matter of public importance, or promote oversight of public expenditure.
While there is limited public interest in the disclosure of information conditionally exempt
under section 47F of the FOI Act, the harm that would result from disclosure is that it could
reasonably be expected to:
- affect an individual’s right to privacy by having their personal information in the public domain.
In summary, I am satisfied that the factors against disclosure of the information outweigh the
factors in favour of disclosure and that, on balance, it would be contrary to the public interest
to release this information to you. Accordingly, I have decided that the relevant information in
Document 1 is exempt under section 47F of the FOI Act.
Release of documents
The documents for release, as referred to in the Schedule of Documents at Attachment A,
is enclosed.
Rights of review
Your rights to seek a review of my decision, or lodge a complaint, are set out at
Attachment B.
Should you have any enquiries concerning this matter, please do not hesitate to contact me
by email at fox@xxxx.xxx.xx.
Yours sincerely
Jordyn (JHD938)
Senior Freedom of Information Officer
Information Access and Privacy Branch
Reviews and Information Release Division
Attachment A
Schedule of Documents for FOI 25/26-0745
| Document number | Page number | Description | Access Decision |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | NDIA Organisational Chart As of 22 September 2025 |
PARTIAL ACCESS Exemption claimed: s47F – personal privacy |
Attachment B
Freedom of Information request – Your review rights
As your request is deemed to have been refused under section 15AC of the FOI Act
because of processing delays, you are unable to apply for an internal review of the decision.
However, if you have concern with any aspect of this decision, please contact the NDIA FOI
team by email at foi@ndis.gov.au , or 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 the 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: OAIC Review Application Form.
An application to the OAIC must be made within 60 calendar days from the date of the
deemed refusal decision, as set out in our letter to you (Notice of Decision). You may also
apply to the OAIC for an extension of this timeframe, from the date of the deemed refusal
decision until the date of your application for review.
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
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:
redacted: ombuxxxxx@xxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx