Dear Isabella,

On 25 November 2025, the Australian National University (the University) received your below request for access to documents under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (the FOI Act).

The University has taken your request to be as follows:

“… any Senate Estimates briefs prepared for, provided to, or used by the Australian National University for the University's appearance before the Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee in October 2025, where those briefs relate to the ANU Governance Project.

This request includes briefs, attachments, talking points, and any material prepared for Interim Vice-Chancellor or other representatives attending the hearing.”

Your request has been assigned the case number 202500306.

Processing Timeframe

The statutory time frame for processing your request is 30 calendar days from day after the date your request was received by the University. You should therefore expect a decision from us by 29 December 2025.

This period of 30 days may be extended if we need to consult third parties, impose a charge or for other reasons. We will advise you in writing if this happens.

We will contact you using the email address you provided. Please advise if you would prefer us to use an alternative means of contact. If you have any questions regarding your request, please feel free to contact the FOI Team via the functional email [ANU request email].

The FOI Team’s workload is currently at very high levels due to the unprecedented volume of FOI requests.

We are using our best endeavours to process all requests expeditiously however there may be some slippage due to the current workload. We will keep in touch with you and advise if there are any significant delays, and will, if necessary, seek extensions as permitted by the Act.

Yours sincerely,

FOI Team
University Governance Office
The Australian National University

Email: [ANU request email]
Web: https://www.anu.edu.au/freedom-of-inform...
TEQSA Provider ID: PRV12002 (Australian University) | CRICOS Provider Code: 00120C | ABN: 52 234 063 906

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Dear Isabella,

You will receive a similar message for any and all active FOI requests you currently have with the Australian National University (the University). This message relates to the following FOI request 202500306:

“… any Senate Estimates briefs prepared for, provided to, or used by the Australian National University for the University's appearance before the Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee in October 2025, where those briefs relate to the ANU Governance Project.

This request includes briefs, attachments, talking points, and any material prepared for Interim Vice-Chancellor or other representatives attending the hearing.”

This email is to manage your expectations about when you can receive a response to this freedom of information (FOI) request, and advise you of your option to agree to an extension until Tuesday 27 January 2026 if you so wish.

Please keep in mind that, regardless of whether you agree to an extension or not, your request will still be processed – even though it may technically be considered a ‘deemed refusal’ if we do not meet deadline. Your rights in that regard are pasted below this email’s signature.

Update on your request

During our search for material, we have found one document that we currently believe is in scope of your request.

By the time we make a decision on that document, they will have been reviewed. The final number of documents in scope of your request will be communicated to you in the University's decision letter.

Processing Timeframe

The statutory time frame for processing your request is 30 calendar days from day after the date your request was received by the University – making the current deadline Monday 29 December 2025, as advised in our acknowledgement email to you below.

FOI Team Volumes & University Christmas Shutdown Period

Volumes

To manage your expectations, the FOI Team’s workload is currently at very high levels due to the unprecedented volume of FOI requests.

We are using our best endeavours to process all requests expeditiously however there may be some slippage due to the current workload. We will keep in touch with you and advise if there are any significant delays, and will, if necessary, seek extensions as permitted by the Act.

There will also be absences of key staff, not just in the FOI team but across the wider business (e.g. subject matter experts), during this time.

University Christmas Shutdown Period – Option for an Agreed Section 15AA Extension

Over the Christmas and New Year 2025-2026 period, the University will be shut down from Thursday 25 December 2025, re-opening on Monday 5 January 2026.

Taking the above into account, you are therefore welcome to agree to an extension of up to 30 days under s 15AA of the FOI Act until Tuesday 27 January 2026.

If you do agree, please let us know by way of reply email; we will notify the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner as required.

This extension (only upon agreement with you) would allow us to complete any final actions and considerations on the case and provide you with a comprehensive decision within statutory timeframes.

If you do not agree, that’s fine – we will continue processing your request and issue a decision as soon as practicable – just know that our decision will likely be technically late / a deemed refusal, and be aware of your review rights under our email signature below.

In short, your request is being and will be processed regardless – whether you agree to an extension or not.

If you have any questions or wish to discuss this further, please contact us by way of reply email.

The processing period may also be extended if we need to consult third parties, impose a charge or for other reasons. We will advise you in writing if this happens.

We will contact you using the email address you provided. Please advise if you would prefer us to use an alternative means of contact. If you have any questions regarding your request, please feel free to contact the FOI Team via the functional email [ANU request email].

Yours sincerely,

FOI Team
University Governance Office
The Australian National University

Email: [ANU request email]
Web: https://www.anu.edu.au/freedom-of-inform...
TEQSA Provider ID: PRV12002 (Australian University) | CRICOS Provider Code: 00120C | ABN: 52 234 063 906

Your review rights
If you are dissatisfied with a technical deemed access refusal, you may apply for internal review or Information Commissioner review of the decision. We encourage you to seek internal review as a first step as it may provide a more rapid resolution of your concerns.

Application for Internal Review of Decision Section 54A of the Act, gives you the right to apply for an internal review of any decision – including deemed access refusals.

It must be made in writing within 30 days of receipt of the decision; no particular form is required but it is desirable to set out in the application the grounds on which you consider the decision should be reviewed.

The application should be addressed to Freedom of Information at [ANU request email].

Application for Information Commissioner Review of decision Under section 54L of the FOI Act, you may apply to the Australian Information Commissioner to review any decision – including deemed access refusals. An application must be made in writing within 60 days of the date of this email, and be lodged in one of the following ways:

Form: either online form or downloadable form available at https://www.oaic.gov.au/freedom-of-infor...
Email: [email address]
Post: Director of FOI Dispute Resolution, GPO Box 5288, Sydney NSW 2001

More information is available on the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner website. https://www.oaic.gov.au/freedom-of-infor...

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