FOI requests: logging, deadlines, searches and decision drafts
Last checked 2026-11-13
This page covers NSW GIPA access applications, Commonwealth FOI requests and US federal FOIA requests. Other states and US states have their own laws, so check the legislation that applies to you.
Statutory deadlines by jurisdiction
| Jurisdiction | Decision period | Extensions and consequences |
|---|---|---|
| NSW (GIPA Act) | Validity decided within 5 working days; decision within 20 working days | Extensions of up to 10 working days, with a maximum extension of 15 working days. $40 application fee. |
| Commonwealth (FOI Act 1982) | No later than 30 days after receiving the request (s 15(5)(b)) | Third-party consultation extends it by 30 days (s 15(6)); the applicant can agree to up to 30 more (s 15AA). A missed deadline is a deemed decision refusing access. |
| US federal (FOIA) | 20 days, excepting Saturdays, Sundays and legal public holidays | Unusual circumstances add 10 days. There is no initial fee, and the first 2 hours of search and first 100 pages are usually free. |
Sources: NSW Information and Privacy Commission fact sheets (including "Calculation of Time and the GIPA Act"), the OAIC FOI Guidelines Part 3 (v1.10, February 2026), and foia.gov. Working-day and calendar-day counting differ, so the deadline register should follow the regulator's own guidance on calculating time. An officer should confirm the first due date on each request.
Intake, logging and acknowledgement
Requests arrive by email, web form or post. An AI worker watching the FOI shared mailbox can:
- Log the request in a register (a SharePoint list or Excel workbook) with the applicant, date received, scope as written and any fee paid.
- Draft an acknowledgement letter with the calculated due date, for the FOI officer to approve.
- Flag points for the officer to consider on validity, such as a missing address for correspondence, an unclear scope or an unpaid fee under GIPA. The validity decision itself stays with the officer.
- Note possible related requests from the same applicant or about the same subject, so the officer can decide whether to coordinate them.
Search coordination and collation
Most FOI time goes on finding documents. The AI can draft and send, after approval, a search request to each business unit that may hold records. The request carries the scope, the search terms agreed with the applicant, and the date the unit must reply by, set well inside the statutory period. It tracks who has answered and drafts reminders for units that haven't. It also collates returned documents into a folder for the request, with a schedule listing each one.
If your records are in Microsoft 365, the AI can also help search mailboxes and SharePoint within the permissions it has been given. Searches of other systems remain with the business unit. The search record matters: keep a note of where was searched, by whom and when, because reviewers may ask.
Drafting the decision for the decision-maker
Once documents are collated, the AI can prepare a first draft of the decision notice in Word. The draft includes a description of the request, the searches undertaken, the documents found, and the decision-maker's notes on each document set out in your agency's standard format. It also includes review rights in the wording your agency uses. In Word, The Everything "drafts and edits in your document, with each change approved".
The AI should not choose exemptions or weigh the public interest. It can lay out the material the decision-maker needs and keep the notice consistent with earlier decisions they have approved.
What stays with a person
- Whether a request is valid, and any negotiation of scope or charges with the applicant.
- Third-party consultation and how objections are weighed.
- Every exemption, every public interest judgement and the access decision.
- Redaction choices, and the final notice that is sent.
FOI requests often contain personal information. Before an AI tool handles them, read what to check before you start. Similar intake and deadline patterns apply to ministerial correspondence.
Questions people ask
Can an AI decide an FOI request?
No. The authorised decision-maker decides validity, exemptions and access. An AI worker can log the request, track the deadline, coordinate searches and draft the notice for that person to review and sign.
What happens if a Commonwealth FOI deadline is missed?
Under the FOI Act 1982, as described in the OAIC FOI Guidelines, if the decision is not made within the period the agency is deemed to have made a decision refusing access. That is why deadline tracking is worth automating.
How long does a NSW agency have to decide a GIPA application?
Validity is decided within 5 working days, and the decision is due within 20 working days. That period can be extended by up to 10 working days, with a maximum extension of 15 working days, according to the NSW Information and Privacy Commission.
What is the US FOIA response time?
A federal agency must determine a request within 20 days, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and legal public holidays. Unusual circumstances can add 10 days.
Can the AI apply redactions?
It can mark passages that match what the decision-maker has asked it to look for, such as personal contact details, for the officer to review. Whether to redact, and on what ground, is the decision-maker's call.
An AI worker inside Microsoft 365
The Everything runs inside Microsoft 365 and Teams. It prepares, checks, tracks and drafts, and it asks before anything important goes out. There is a 14-day free trial with no credit card. After that it costs $400 AUD/month + GST per organisation, with unlimited team members. Do your own security, privacy and records assessment before using it for government work.
See how The Everything works