Legal Pathway · Alpha 0.1

Making an FOI Request

Step by step, from your concern to the records and what to do next.

DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.20302675
Commonwealth FOI example. State and Territory pathways will differ. This Alpha tests the design pattern. Information only, not legal advice.

Reading the pathway

What the colours mean

Choose your view

The FOI pathway

View as
01

Name the concern

What happened? What record would show it?

Right
02

Choose pathway

FOI gets documents. Review challenges decisions. Correction fixes records.

Decision
03

Find the agency

Send it to the body most likely to hold the documents.

04

Frame request

Ask for document types, topics and dates.

Keystone
05

Send request

Send it by portal, email or post. Keep proof.

06

Wait or respond

The agency may ask you to clarify, narrow, respond to consultation or deal with charges.

Timeline
07

Read decision

Check the schedule, redactions, reasons and review rights.

Decision
08

Choose next step

Accept, seek review, ask for correction or use the records.

Decision
  1. 01

    Name the concern

    Right

    What happened? What record would show it?

    FOI is for documents — not questions, complaints or appeals. Work out what you want to know, then ask for the records that would show it.
  2. 02

    Choose pathway

    Decision

    FOI gets documents. Review challenges decisions. Correction fixes records.

    Documents you don’t have → FOI. A record that’s wrong about you → correction. Disagree with a decision → review. The wrong pathway wastes time.
  3. 03

    Find the agency

    Send it to the body most likely to hold the documents.

    Pick the most likely record-holder — department, regulator, public authority or minister’s office. Don’t send the same broad request to everyone.
  4. 04

    Frame request

    Keystone

    Ask for document types, topics and dates.

    The quality of the request affects everything that follows. Use this shape:
    Documents about topic, including document types, between start date and end date.
  5. 05

    Send request

    Use the FOI email or portal. Keep proof of what you sent.

    Most requests go by the agency’s FOI portal or email. You can also post or hand-deliver a written request to the agency’s published address. The time limit usually starts when the agency receives a valid request. Keep five things in one folder: date lodged, confirmation, exact wording sent, attachments and any charges notice.
  6. 06

    Wait or respond

    Timeline

    The agency may ask you to clarify, narrow, respond to consultation or deal with charges.

    These are normal mid-process steps, not refusals. They may pause or extend the clock. Respond promptly to keep things moving.
  7. 07

    Read decision

    Decision

    Check the schedule, redactions, reasons and review rights.

    The schedule of documents is your map. It lists every document found, what the agency did with each one, and why. Read it before deciding what to do next.
  8. 08

    Choose next step

    Decision

    Accept, seek review, ask for correction or use the records.

    Three common paths:
    Accept and use records Seek review Ask for correction

Step 04 · Detail

How to frame the request

A request that gets documents looks like this
Documents about topic, including document types, between start date and end date.
emails briefing notes meeting minutes file notes decision records policies correspondence registers
Ask for documents, not reasons. A clearer request is easier to process.

Step 06 · What might happen next

During the wait, the agency may come back

Possible step

Clarify

They ask what you mean. Reply with tighter wording. This usually does not mean refusal.

Possible step

Narrow

They say the request is too broad. Narrow it by date, topic or document type and reply.

Possible step

Charges or consultation

They may propose charges, or check with someone whose information is in the documents. Read the notice and reply by the due date.

Step 08 · After the decision

Three things you can do

Option

Accept and use the records

If you have what you need, save the documents and the decision letter. Use them.

Option

Seek review

If you disagree, you can ask for an internal review or Information Commissioner review. A tribunal may review it later.

Option

Ask for correction

If a record about you is wrong, ask the agency to correct it, amend it, or add a note. Not another FOI request.

Accuracy notes

Things that are easy to get wrong

  • FOI is for documents. Not for asking questions, making complaints or appealing decisions. Use a different pathway for those.
  • Ask the agency first if you can. Many documents — policies, guidelines, published reports — are available without an FOI request. Check the agency’s disclosure log or publication scheme. FOI is the tool when those don’t get you the documents.
  • Commonwealth FOI usually starts with a 30-day decision period. Extensions can apply for consultation, complex requests or agreement with you.
  • Clarify, narrow, consult or respond to charges. These are normal mid-process steps. They are not refusals, but they may pause or extend the clock.
  • The schedule of documents is the map. It lists every document found, what the agency did with each one, and why. Read it before deciding what to do next.
  • Wrong record? Different pathway. If the record about you is wrong, ask the agency to correct it, amend it, or add a note. Don’t lodge a fresh FOI request to fix it.

Navigate at your own pace

Choose how to use this page

  • Follow the 8 tiles first.
  • Switch to step-by-step view if you want the detail inline.
  • Read the detail cards if you need more.
  • Print the page for offline reference.
  • Use relaxed reading mode for larger text and spacing — the toggle is in the top navigation bar.
  • Send feedback if a step feels unclear.

Help shape this pathway

Alpha feedback

Alpha feedback

This is a v0.1 prototype. Three questions for reviewers:

  1. Could you follow the pathway without reading the supporting cards?
  2. What still feels hard or unclear?
  3. What would make this clearer, safer or more accurate?
Send feedback

For reviewers

Design rationale

For reviewers UDL design rationale

This Alpha is mapped against the three CAST Universal Design for Learning principles. Detailed CAST numbering is deliberately omitted from the public page — it would add density without helping users navigate the pathway.

Representation

  • Icons, colour labels and plain-language tiles reduce reliance on dense legal text.
  • Supporting cards provide detail without overloading the main pathway.
  • The keystone tile uses warmer background and thicker border to mark structural importance non-verbally.

Action & Expression

  • The pathway breaks the process into concrete next actions.
  • Branching is moved out of the main pathway and into supporting cards, so the main sequence reads in one direction.
  • Feedback questions allow reviewers to respond without legal expertise.

Engagement

  • Stable layout, relaxed reading mode and calm colours reduce cognitive load.
  • The “Choose how to use this page” panel supports self-directed navigation.
  • The Alpha label invites collaborative feedback rather than performance.

Version

Pathway
Making an FOI Request — Commonwealth
Status
Alpha 0.1
Last updated
20 May 2026
Cite as
Jay Spudvilas, ‘Making an FOI Request’, LightKey (Web Page, Alpha 0.1, 20 May 2026) <https://lightkey.org/pathways/making-an-foi-request/>.
ORCID
0009-0000-0945-0380