It’s your right to get official information from the government – so why is it so hard? (opens original article in a new tab)

Calls for reform of the Official Information Act (OIA) have intensified due to rising costs and non-compliance issues, with a former ombudsman threatening prosecution against a health agency for failing to respond to requests.

• A former ombudsman threatened to prosecute a health agency for non-compliance with OIA requests.
• The cost of responding to OIA requests has risen 293% over a decade, reaching $183.6m in 2024/25.
• Critics argue the high costs could reduce government transparency if scrutinized.
• There is a call for penalties for OIA breaches and independent resourcing of the act.