The job of fielding freedom of information complaints was transferred to the commonwealth ombudsman without any consultation or extra funding, Senate Estimates heard on Thursday.
The office of the Australian information commissioner will be disbanded as part of the federal government’s budget measures, with its functions split across several different agencies.
But David Fredericks, deputy director of the Attorney General’s Department, told a Senate Estimates hearing on Thursday that the ombudsman was not consulted about the plan.
His boss, the attorney general, George Brandis, tried to soften the revelation by saying general meetings were held with agencies to examine efficiency measure after the election.
“Those consultations were not specifically in relation to the budget, but that having been said, bids that various departments made in the budget process were informed in part by what had been discussed during those meetings,” he said.
“There are not usually, certainly not in my department, specific agency consultations about budget measures as a matter of routine.”
The Attorney General’s Department added that the ombudsman would not receive further funding to meet the additional demands of freedom of information complaints.
Under the new plans, complaints will be fielded by the ombudsman, the privacy commissioner will become part of the Human Rights Commission and freedom of information appeals will be heard in the Administrative Appeals tribunal.
The reallocation of functions has raised concerns about the government’s commitment to freedom of information laws.
Labor senator Joe Ludwig previously said splitting freedom of information and privacy watchdogs as part of cost-saving measures would shut the door on open government.
