See the path through your legal process

LightKey breaks down legal steps so you can follow them. Built for everyone — especially people who process information differently.

An accessibility project of GlassCase.org, the civic-legal lab that maps how law works in Australia.

Enter the archway →
Legal Pathway Visual Explainer

Making an FOI Request

Each stone is a step in the process. The keystone is the most important step. Colours show what kind of step it is.

Freedom of Information — Commonwealth 5 stones · 1 keystone · 2 choices
1
Identify your right Right Foundation
You have a legal right to see government documents. Anyone can use this right. You do not need to be a citizen or have any special qualifications.
This right comes from the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth). See section 11.
2
Prepare your request
Write a short description of what you want. You do not need file names. Just say the topic, the type of document, and the time period.
A good starting format: "All correspondence, briefing notes, and minutes about [your topic] between [start date] and [end date]."
3
Lodge with the agency Keystone · 30 days
This is the key step. When you send your request, the agency has 30 days to make a decision. That clock starts now. The time can be extended in some cases, but the law sets a firm starting point.
The agency may ask you to narrow your request. This is called a "practical refusal" under section 24. They may also check with other people before releasing documents. This is allowed under section 26A. Both are normal parts of the process.
4
Agency decision Decision point
The agency makes a decision. They can give you full access, partial access, or refuse. If they refuse or redact, they must explain why for each document.
Look for the "schedule of documents" in the decision letter. It lists every document found, the decision on each one, and the reason. This is your map of what they decided and why.
5
Review options Choice point
If you are not happy with the decision, you have three options. Each one is a fresh look at what the agency decided.
Internal review (same agency, fresh eyes) Information Commissioner review Administrative Appeals Tribunal
What holds us up

Why this design?

Clear layout. Wide spacing. Still pages. You control the pace.

Grounded design

Warm colours. Clear layout. Wide spacing and fonts chosen for easy reading. How you feel matters as much as what you read.

Strand-coded clarity

Each step is colour-coded. Rights are teal. Timelines are copper. Decisions are stone. You can always tell what kind of step you are on.

Built to last

No animations. No moving parts. The page stays still so you can read it at your own pace. Stability is an accessibility feature.

About the founder

Jay Spudvilas

Portrait of Jay Spudvilas

Jay Spudvilas is an education leader and researcher starting a law degree at ANU in 2026. He has twelve years of experience in public schools: building evidence systems, meeting legal requirements, and designing records that hold up under review.

LightKey is a GlassCase initiative. Research identity: ORCID 0009-0000-0945-0380

LightKey is being developed with input from accessibility advocates and users.