Commonwealth Legal Team Handles 2x FOI Volume with Quillio
An 18-lawyer in-house legal team at a Commonwealth department uses Quillio for Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth) decisions, Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) advice including the 2024 amendments, Commonwealth Procurement Rules review, statutory interpretation of portfolio legislation, and Administrative Review Tribunal matters under the ART Act 2024 (Cth). The team now processes about twice the FOI volume without adding headcount, and internal clients get procurement advice in days instead of weeks.
What they were trying to solve
The department's FOI caseload had grown steadily across two election cycles while the legal team size was flat. Statutory decision timeframes under s15(5) FOI Act were being missed more often, triggering deemed refusals and OAIC reviews. Procurement teams needed fast advice on complex CPR 10.10 and 10.15 limited tender exemptions, and the ART transition from the AAT in October 2024 created a surge of transitional matters and training needs.
Why Quillio
Quillio was configured with the FOI Act 1982 (Cth), Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) including the Privacy and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2024, the ART Act 2024 (Cth) and practice directions, the Commonwealth Procurement Rules, Public Governance Performance and Accountability Act 2013 (Cth), the Acts Interpretation Act 1901, the department's portfolio legislation, and OAIC and AGD guidance notes. Lawyers draft FOI decision instruments, procurement memos, and ART review submissions from structured first drafts.
Implementation
Pilot on FOI workflow over eight weeks with an independent quality check by an external assessor against 30 finalised decisions. Procurement and privacy extended in month three, and ART transition support rolled out in month four after the October 2024 commencement. All use under the PSPF and departmental IT security policy.
Measurable outcomes
Same 18-lawyer team, twice the decision output per month
Decisions made within s15(5) FOI Act 30-day window
Fewer OAIC reviews triggered by timeframe failures
CPR 10 limited tender and open tender review memos
All lawyers up to speed on ART Act 2024 (Cth) practice by Oct 2024
We weren't going to get more headcount — that conversation was over. What we needed was for our senior lawyers to stop spending their Fridays on decision templates. Quillio did that, and the quality review from the external assessor came back clean. That was the moment the executive backed it properly.
How it works in practice
FOI Act 1982 (Cth) decisions and OAIC reviews, Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) advice including APP assessments and notifiable data breaches, Commonwealth Procurement Rules review for limited and open tenders, ART Act 2024 (Cth) matters post-AAT transition, statutory interpretation of portfolio legislation, and internal legal advice under Legal Services Directions 2017.
What they avoided
Missing more FOI statutory timeframes and attracting OAIC scrutiny, or outsourcing more work to panel firms at external rates the department's budget could not sustain.
Case study FAQs
Does Quillio meet PSPF and government IT security requirements?
Quillio runs on Australian-hosted infrastructure with SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 certifications, operates under the firm or department tenancy, and supports IRAP assessment. Nothing is used for external model training. Engagement is under the department's existing AGD Legal Services Directions arrangements.
Can it handle FOI decisions?
Yes — FOI Act 1982 (Cth) Part II, exemptions under Division 2 (including the conditional exemptions and public interest test), third-party consultation under ss26A, 27, 27A, and OAIC review preparation.
What about the ART transition from AAT?
Yes — the ART Act 2024 (Cth) which commenced 14 October 2024, transitional provisions, the new guidance and appeals panel, and practice directions as they are published.
Does it cover Commonwealth Procurement Rules?
Yes — the CPRs including the 2024 revised rules, limited tender exemptions under para 10.10 and 10.15, approach to market documents, and value-for-money analysis.
Can it handle Privacy Act 2024 amendments?
Yes — the Privacy and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2024 (Cth) including the new statutory tort, automated decision-making transparency provisions, and the children's online privacy code obligations.
Run the same pilot.
Commonwealth and state government legal teams should trial Quillio on a batch of FOI decisions or procurement advice matters — under department IT security and legal services arrangements. Start a free trial or request a government-specific briefing.
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