The NDIA claims in its Participant Service Charter that it wants to be "transparent". However, it avoids making public communication and decisions about some key issues. For example, the following show that it does not want its records about commentary from a disability representative organisation (DRO) on advice it received from its IAC released.

The NDIA wrote a discussion paper on early intervention for autistic children.

The NDIA based it's discussion paper on advice from its Independent Advisory Council (IAC), a body with little or no expertise of understanding of autistic children. A4, an autism DRO, sent its commentary on the IAC's advice about early intervention for young children to the NDIA. The NDIA did not respond.

A4 sought documents showing how the NDIA handled its commentary - see the NDIA's FOI 20/21-0660 response below. Basically, the NDIA said it's information showed that there was so much correspondence, over 350 items, that they could not process it with a reasonable effort.

A4 requested (FOI 20/21-0835) a copy of the information they found showing there were over 350 items. The NDIA responded that there is no such information. First the information exists and shows there is too much information to process, then the NDIA says the information does not exist so they cannot provide it.

It seems that the NDIA keeps its information in the imaginary box with Schrödinger's cat ... or perhaps they have their own similar box.