In 2015, following enquiries from members of our state associations, the Wushu Council Australia lodged a freedom of information (FOI) request with the Australian Sports Commission (ASC). The purpose of the request was to release documents that could clarify how the status of the NSO (National Sporting Organisation) for the sport of wushu was transferred from AKWF (Australian Kung Fu Wushu Association) to a separate legal entity named KWA (Kung Fu Wushu Australia Limited).
In response to the request, the ASC released some related documents but declined access to others. The Wushu Council then applied for a review by the Information Commissioner, who earlier this year had set aside the decision of the ASC, and decided that the ASC must provide documents with some necessary redactions (see: http://www.austlii.edu.au/…/viewdoc/au/cases/cth/AICmr/2017… ).
The KWA has subsequently appealed this decision to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT). The hearing of the matter is now scheduled for early next year in Canberra. The outcome will be summarised for readers once the AAT has handed down its decision.