Compliance
PAIA Access-to-Information Governance
Handling of Promotion of Access to Information Act requests and statutory deadlines.
Why PAIA handling is a constitutional accountability duty
Access to information is a constitutional right, and PAIA gives effect to it by binding public bodies to fixed timeframes for responding to requests. Mishandled or ignored requests expose the entity to complaints to the Information Regulator and undermine the transparency that good governance demands. AuditPro Core governs PAIA requests against their statutory deadlines so that responses are timely, properly reasoned and defensible.
The Numbers
AuditPro Core renders this view from your tenant's live, tamper-evident records. The figures below are illustrative sample data.
Requests received
146
▲ 22%
Within 30 days
68%
Deemed refusals
19
Granted in full
54%
Request outcomes by quarter
Refusal grounds
| Ground | Count | Appealed |
|---|---|---|
| Third-party privacy | 14 | 3 |
| Commercial info | 9 | 2 |
| Deemed refusal | 19 | 7 |
Figures shown are illustrative sample data for demonstration. AuditPro Core renders these views from your own tenant's live, tamper-evident records.
Statutory timeframes
PAIA requires a public body to decide on a request within 30 days, extendable in defined circumstances. Missing the deadline is a deemed refusal that the requester can take on appeal.
Grounds of refusal
Access may be refused only on specific statutory grounds, such as protection of privacy or commercial confidentiality. Each refusal must be reasoned against a recognised ground, not asserted at large.
The information officer's role
The information officer is accountable for receiving, deciding and responding to requests in line with the Act. Centralising this responsibility ensures requests are tracked rather than lost across the organisation.
How AuditPro Core Bridges the Gap
- Deadline governance: tracks each request against its 30-day statutory clock and any valid extension.
- Exception flagging: escalates requests approaching or past deadline before a deemed refusal arises.
- Traceability to source: links each decision to the request, the ground relied on and the response sent.
- Audit-ready export: compiles the PAIA register for the Information Regulator's annual reporting.
Key Takeaways
- PAIA enforces a constitutional right with fixed response deadlines.
- A missed deadline is a deemed refusal open to appeal.
- Refusals must be grounded in specific statutory exemptions.
- Centralise request handling under the information officer to avoid lapses.
See This on Your Own Data
AuditPro Core renders this dashboard from your tenant's live, tamper-evident records — every figure traceable to source.