The new FOI releases from Federal government departments and key agencies from 23 to 30 August 2026 are summarised below. Notable this week: Australia declined to respond to a UN call for input on violence against women, AEC disclosure surge and ASIC whistleblower stats.
Notable this week: Australia declined to respond to a UN call for input on violence against women despite two departments drafting material, due to internal unease about the “sex-based” framing; the ATO’s staff-monitoring regime is extensive and includes capturing 10% of employee screens; Jobseeker obligations paused for holidays but never for heatwaves; and whistleblower disclosures to ASIC nearly tripled to 1,931 this year while just 6% were referred for action.
Australia decided against responding to the UN Special Rapporteur’s call for input on sex-based violence against women and girls, despite the Department of Social Services drafting a response and the Attorney-General’s Department agreeing to cover a companion piece on consent. Officials cited being embarrassingly overdue, but internal emails also show unease over the Rapporteur’s “sex-based” framing, which conflicts with Australia’s position favouring “gender-based violence” and inclusion of gender identity. Redactions: s.22, s.33(a)(iii), s.33(b), s.47C(1), s.47E(d).
Information published in the disclosure log
dfat-foi-lex13744 [PDF 12.13 MB]
Source: Rotation 017 · 2026-08-30