University council agenda papers for November 28, 2025 meeting
Dear Australian National University,
Under the Freedom of Information Act 1982, I request access to the following documents:
- University Council agenda and briefing papers for University Council meeting held on or around 28th November, 2025
To assist in the processing of this request, I agree to the redaction where necessary of any person's contact details, as well as redaction of names of any person other than those people considered part of the University Executive at any point during 2025 as defined by the University website at https://www.anu.edu.au/about/university-...
If you can provide the table of contents of the briefing pack I am happy to assist in narrowing down the scope of the request to assist in your processing.
Yours faithfully,
Indiana Clibborn
Dear FOI Team,
I have not received an acknowledgment of this request within 14 days as required under s15(5)(a) of the Freedom of Information Act 1982. Is there an issue with the request?
Yours faithfully,
Indiana Clibborn
Dear Indiana,
Our apologies for the oversight on lack of communication thus far, and thank you for your reminder email located in the thread below.
Acknowledgement
On 28 November 2025, the Australian National University (the University) received your 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:
“… University Council agenda and briefing papers for University Council meeting held on or around 28th November, 2025
…
If you can provide the table of contents of the briefing pack I am happy to assist in narrowing down the scope of the request to assist in your processing.”
Thank you for agreeing in advance to the redaction where necessary of any person's contact details, as well as the redaction of names of any person other than those people considered part of the University Executive at any point during 2025 as defined by the University website at https://www.anu.edu.au/about/university-....
Your request was assigned the case number 202500307.
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 – which is Monday 29 December 2025.
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.
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].
Update on Your Request
• Your request was and is being processed under the reference number 202500307.
• Two documents were identified and located in relation to your request.
• One of those documents – the pack consisting of the agenda and briefing papers – is objectively large, amounting to 628 pages, and needs to be reviewed thoroughly before a decision is provided to you (and potentially consulted on should any third parties be identified in that package).
Refinement sought
Reasoning:
Because there is a significant volume of material to review/process, we would like to seek refinement from you to help us process your request in a timely fashion. This is for the following reasons:
• As stated above, there are at least 628 pages in scope of your current request.
• Using a conservative estimate, it would take a minimum of 52.33 hours just to review the 628-page package (based on a baseline estimate from experience that reviewing documents thoroughly under the FOI Act takes on average 5 minutes per page; this time estimate does not take into account the retrieval and conversion of any potential non-PDF’ed attachments; it does not take into account time spent manually withholding information if required; and it does not take into account the time spent identifying and engaging with third parties for consultation).
Are you willing to refine your request?
Given the above reasoning, and the fact that you stated in your original request that you would you be willing to narrow the scope based on the table of contents, would you be willing to refine your request further? E.g. You could specify (as some other FOI applicants do) that this request is for the agenda – and then make up a follow-up request based on the information you receive if you need to.
Any refinement detail you can provide would be appreciated. We may still work with you if further refinement is necessary (which is sometimes more apparent as we are processing/reviewing the relevant document(s)).
If yes, please get back to us as soon as possible – and ideally no later than COB this Friday 19 December 2025, so that we can engage with you over the following business days.
If you cannot refine your request any further, we may need to work with you to consider other mechanisms under the FOI Act – be they charging for this request, an agreed 30-day extension under section 15AA of the FOI Act, or any other mechanism that can result in a clear decision for you.
For future reference
Thank you for stating, “[i]f you can provide the table of contents of the briefing pack I am happy to assist in narrowing down the scope of the request to assist in your processing.”
You may have already received correspondence in relation to similar requests stating that when a request is phrased in this way, it does not necessarily enable us to determine which documents you ultimately seek and, to treat the request as an immediate request for all Council papers, can lead to unnecessary work as we search for, retrieve and process documents you may not ultimately be interested in.
The “two stage” approach can also cause difficulties in complying with timeframes under the FOI Act.
In this case, we are seeking refinement from you so would be grateful if you could engage with us on that.
Thank you for your understanding as we work to process your request and we’ll stay in touch,
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 the 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...
Dear FOI Team,
As indicated I am more than happy to assist in refining the request. Please provide the table of contents so that I am able to do this.
While I understand that it may be difficult for you in processing the request, the reason I've provided this in a single request is the severe delays in processing requests. The table of contents is a single 2-3 page document, produced by the University Secretary, who is also an FOI Officer, and yet it seems to take months beyond the statutory processing window to receive this in order to target requests for the specific documents from the agenda pack.
Would it assist if the request for the table of contents was provided as an informal request to allow for more targeting in the FOI request for the specific documents? I am mindful of your workload, while also trying to receive the requested documents in the timeframes provided by the FOI Act.
Yours sincerely,
Indiana Clibborn
Acknowledged with thanks, Indiana
This email is to primarily to acknowledge your refinement, which we understand to be as follows:
"...the table of contents" in relation to the University Council meeting held on or around 28 November 2025.
Acknowledging the impact delays have had on you
We have formally notified the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) of this delays we and our FOI applicants are experiencing.
The University has provided the OAIC with an action plan outlining measures we are taking to address these challenges, including:
• Publishing notices on our websites and FOI request form to inform applicants of current delays
• Recruiting additional resources to increase capacity
• Implementing process improvements to ensure processes are fit for purpose given a significant increase in FOI requests this year.
The FOI Commissioner has acknowledged these proactive steps, and while these measures will take time to reduce processing times, we remain committed to fulfilling all FOI requests.
You are entitled to raise any matter regarding a delay with the OAIC at any time (your review rights are pasted below our signature). In the meantime, we will continue to progress your request and provide updates as it moves forward. Thank you for your understanding and patience during this period.
And to reiterate what was communicated in our last message to you, to manage your expectations around response times at the moment:
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.
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.
If you have any questions regarding your request, please feel free to contact the FOI Team by way of reply email.
Wishing you a restful Christmas and New Year break, and will keep in touch with you at the beginning of next year,
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 the 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: [ANU request email]
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...