Dear David Wright, 

Freedom of Information Request: Acknowledgement & Extension of Time
Request

Thank you for your request of 23 January 2026, 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: 

“Please provide the following information about all law firms engaged by
the NDIA in the first six months of the 2025-2026 financial year for
matters to which the NDIA was a Respondent at the Administrative Appeals
Tribunal (AAT)/Administrative Review Tribunal (ART):

1) A list of all law firms engaged.

2) The number of AAT matters each law firm was engaged for.

3) The total of all payments made by the NDIA to each of these law firms,
giving the total figure paid to each law firm and also a combined total
figure of all payments." 

Processing Timeframes

In accordance with section 15(5)(b) of the FOI Act, a 30-day statutory
period for processing your request commenced from 24 January 2026. This
30-day period expires on 22 February 2026. 

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 24 March 2026.  

Please let us know if you agree by 5pm Monday 9 February 2026.

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). 

Action Required

Can I please request a response regarding our request for a 30-day
extension of time, by 5pm Monday 9 February 2026.

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,

Bree

Triage Officer – Triage and Early Resolution

Information Access and Privacy 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.

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