Commentary
Short-form analysis of administrative law, transparency systems and institutional design. Each edition examines a single concept, pattern or reform through the lens of how public decision-making is structured.
For the full evidence base and argument, see the position paper. Commentary below addresses individual concepts and developments.
When Design Is the Missing Layer
The final edition examines whether design can close the gap between legal obligation and institutional behaviour in Commonwealth FOI decision-making.
Read →When Review Can't Reach
Patrick v Australian Information Commissioner exposed a structural gap between administrative capacity and legal remedy. When IC review can't reach, the accountability chain breaks at the final link.
Read →Reasons for Decisions
When an agency refuses an FOI request under s 47E(d), what does the law actually require them to explain?
Read →Deemed Refusals
Under the FOI Act, if an agency doesn't respond within 30 days, the law treats silence as a refusal.
Read →