Dear Mae,

 

Freedom of Information Request: Acknowledgement & Extension of Time
Request

 

Thank you for your request of 29 August 2025, made under the Freedom of
Information Act 1982 (FOI Act), for copies of documents held by the
National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA).

 

Scope of your Request

 

You have requested access to:

 

“… data, specifically for individuals who have listed one of the following
conditions as their primary or secondary disability:

 

* Chronic pain

* Fibromyalgia

* Central Sensitivity Syndrome

* Central Regional Pain Syndrome

* Complex Regional Pain Syndrome

 

For each of these conditions, I request:

 

* The number of people who have applied for NDIS support.

* The number of people who have been accepted for NDIS support.

* The number of people who have been rejected for NDIS support…”

 

 

Processing Timeframes 

 

In accordance with section 15(5)(b) of the FOI Act, a 30-day statutory
period for processing your request commenced from 30 August 2025. This
30-day period expires on 29 September 2025.

 

The 30-day period can be extended in a number of ways, including with your
agreement. 

 

Extension of Time Request:

 

Unfortunately, it is currently taking us a little longer than 30 days to
process FOI requests due to a very high volume of incoming matters. I am
therefore seeking your agreement to a 30-day extension of time under
section 15AA of the FOI Act. If you agree to this extension, the new due
date for us to decide on your request will be 29 October 2025. 

 

Please let us know if you agree by .

 

Explanation of Extension of Time Request: 

 

The reason I am seeking an extension of time is to ensure I preserve your
review rights under the FOI Act. 

 

FOI applicants are normally entitled to exercise a right of internal
review if they are unsatisfied with the outcome of an FOI decision.
However, this right of review lapses if a FOI decision is not made within
the statutory timeframe. This is because if an agency doesn’t issue their
decision within the statutory timeframe, they are deemed to have refused
the request for documents. If this situation happens, it will limit your
options for formal review to only contacting the OAIC.

 

You are not obligated to agree to this request you would still retain your
review rights with our regulatory body OAIC (Office of the Australian
Information Commission).

 

Irrelevant Information

 

Section 22 of the FOI Act allows an Agency to redact information from
documents if that information would reasonably be regarded as irrelevant
to a request for access. 

 

Given the nature of your request, it does not seem that NDIA staff
members’ surnames and contact details would be relevant to you. Can you
please send me a reply email confirming that such details are irrelevant
to your request for access?

 

Action Required

 

Can I please request a response regarding our request for a 30-day
extension of time, by COB Wednesday 3 September 2025. 

 

Next steps

 

I have completed some preliminary work on your request; however, your
matter will be allocated to an authorised FOI decision-maker for any
further action. The decision-maker may need to contact you to discuss a
range of matters, including refining the scope of your request. 

 

We will contact you using the email address you have provided. Please
advise if you would prefer us to use an alternative means of contact.

 

In the meantime, if you have any questions or need help, please contact us
at [1][NDIA request email].

 

Kind regards, 

 

 

Wendy (WTN314)

Triage Officer – Triage and Early Resolution

Information Release, Privacy and Legal Operations Branch

Reviews and Information Release Division

National Disability Insurance Agency

[2][NDIA request email]

[3]NDIA logo

[4]LGBTIQA+ rainbow graphic

The NDIA acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout
Australia and their continuing connection to land, sea and community. We
pay our respects to them and their cultures and to Elders past, present
and emerging.

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Mae <[FOI #13554 email]>
Sent: Friday, 29 August 2025 9:25 PM
To: foi <[NDIA request email]>
Subject: Freedom of Information request - National Disability Insurance
Agency (NDIA) - NDIS Data on Chronic Pain Conditions

 

[You don't often get email from
[5][FOI #13554 email]. Learn why this is
important at [6]https://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIdentific... ]

 

Dear Freedom of Information Officer,

 

I am writing to formally request access to information held by the
National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) under the *Freedom of
Information Act 1982 (Cth).

 

I am seeking the following information for the last five (5) financial
years (e.g., 2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25), broken down on
a yearly basis:

 

1. Application and Rejection Data

 

I request the following data, specifically for individuals who have listed
one of the following conditions as their primary or secondary disability:

 

* Chronic pain

* Fibromyalgia

* Central Sensitivity Syndrome

* Central Regional Pain Syndrome

* Complex Regional Pain Syndrome

 

For each of these conditions, I request:

 

* The number of people who have applied for NDIS support.

* The number of people who have been accepted for NDIS support.

* The number of people who have been rejected for NDIS support.

 

I request this information in a machine-readable format, such as an Excel
or CSV file, if possible. I understand that some of this information may
be sensitive and I am not requesting any personal or identifying
information about individuals. My request is for de-identified, aggregate
data only.

 

I look forward to your response within the statutory 30-day period.

 

Yours faithfully,

 

Mae

 

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Please use this email address for all replies to this request:

[7][FOI #13554 email]

 

Is [8][NDIA request email] the wrong address for Freedom of Information
requests to National Disability Insurance Agency? If so, please contact us
using this form:

[9]https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlo...

 

This request has been made by an individual using Right to Know. This
message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet.
More information on how Right to Know works can be found at:

[10]https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlo...

 

Please note that in some cases publication of requests and responses will
be delayed.

 

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web
manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

 

 

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References

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2. mailto:[NDIA request email]
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