The Prime Minister's office has failed to meet deadlines for multiple requests to access information about the controversial $660 million commuter car parks program.
9News asked for specific material relating to the preparation and planning for the pre-election blitz, which the Auditor-General found heavily pushed projects into Coalition seats.
It's since been revealed the scheme is almost $100 million over its original budget; four projects have been finished and six scrapped since they were all announced two and a half years ago.
Requests for access to documents under Freedom of Information laws were filed with the Department of Infrastructure and Prime Minister and Cabinet. Both were handled out of the Prime Minister's department.
Under the Freedom of Information Act a department or minister has 30 days to "take all reasonable steps to enable the applicant to be notified of a decision".
On day 30, the department wrote, "the subject-matter of your request is more closely connected to the functions of the Office of the Prime Minister (PMO) than PM&C. PM&C is seeking to transfer your request to the PMO for processing".
The department asked for a new deadline of November 5.
It was asked numerous times if the Prime Minister's office was going to meet this deadline, and when it didn't, what the new deadline was.
"We have provided these (repeated requests for update) to the Prime Minister's office; as they continue to process your request," a department email said.
A separate request was made to the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet on October 5. The department referred the matter to the Prime Minister's office.
Thirty-six days later neither the PMO, or the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet have responded.
Yesterday, 9News revealed the Department of Infrastructure released 157 pages relating to the response to the audit — 92 were entirely redacted including a media release from Infrastructure Minister Paul Fletcher.
Mr Fletcher has also rejected repeated requests through parliament to release documents relating to a list of top 20 marginals, which the Audit Office says was drawn up in Alan Tudge's office when he was infrastructure minister.
According to the Office of the Information Commissioner's annual report, the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet has among the lowest rates of releasing material under Freedom of Information, and one of the highest for refusals, rejecting 52 per cent of all requests in the financial year to June 30.
Information advocate Senator Rex Patrick won a legal fight against the government to prevent it extending cabinet confidentiality to the national cabinet.
The government has since introduced a bill to the parliament he argues seeks to "overturn Justice White's decisions that national cabinet is not a committee of cabinet for the purposes of the FOI Act".
"The PMO can't seem to answer an FOI request in the 30-day statutory frame, but could introduce a whole new bill into the parliament in just 28 days," Senator Patrick told 9News.com.au.
"The Prime Minister won't lift a finger to assist in being transparent but will move heaven and earth to maintain secrecy."
Yesterday, when asked about government objections to the release of details about the commuter car parks program, Mr Morrison said: "We announced all of our carparks before the last election all the details are out there."
"I took them to an election and Australians supported us, so I'd love to see us get on as we already are in so many places," he said.
Greens Senator Janet Rice has pushed for a Senate inquiry into the commuter car parks program.
"If the PM and his ministers have nothing to hide, why are they doing all they can to keep these documents secret?" she said.
"We've already seen sports rorts, the Building Better Regions scandal, and car park rorts."
Senator Rice said Australian taxpayers "deserve to know how their money was spent, how far and wide the Coalition's rorting goes, and which ministers were in on it".
The inquiry holds its first public hearing today.
