MEDIA RELEASE 4 November 2025
Shadow Attorney-General and Federal Member for Fisher, Andrew Wallace MP, has accused the Albanese Labor Government of institutionalising secrecy after it shunted the Freedom of Information Amendment Bill 2025 to the Parliament’s secondary chamber.
Leader of the House Tony Burke today referred the FOI Bill to the Federation Chamber, a forum normally reserved for uncontroversial legislation. Manager of Opposition Business Alex Hawke moved to block the referral, but Labor voted it down.
Mr Wallace said the Government’s handling of the Bill is part of a disturbing pattern of rushing sensitive legislation through Parliament without scrutiny.
“This Government’s abuse of parliamentary process is becoming a hallmark of its term. They pushed through the terrorism listing bill, and now they’re doing it again with one of the most important integrity laws in the country,” Mr Wallace said.
The Bill redefines the FOI Act to prioritise government operations over the public’s right to know, introduces a 40-hour processing cap, and imposes new fees on applicants, what Mr Wallace calls a ‘truth tax.’
“Labor dresses this up as modernisation, but it weakens the public’s right to know and strengthens the bureaucracy’s right to hide. Australians will see the announcement, never the debate that led to it. That is not transparency, that is control.”
Mr Wallace said the move reflects Labor’s broader “secrecy-first” culture, from redacted defence documents to withheld energy modelling.
“Since taking office, Labor has promised integrity and delivered opacity. They’ve normalised non-disclosure agreements and now they’re rewriting FOI laws to keep Australians in the dark.” Mr Wallace said.
Mr Wallace confirmed the Coalition will oppose the Bill and work with crossbenchers to remove the most restrictive measures, including bans on anonymity, new fees and expanded Cabinet exemptions.
“Freedom of information is not a privilege, it’s a right. A government that hides information forgets who it serves. The Coalition stands for open government, free media and the people’s right to know.”
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Media Contact: Brendan West – 0402 556 646 – Brendan.west@aph.gov.au
