Well, aside from my previous very glib post,
Islander Jock is right. I know at least one FOI who is a regular on PPRuNe. He actually
DOES try to answer things within his frame of knowledge and experience. If he says that he'll get back to you, he will - it's certainly true that none of the FOIs will have the answer to every question straight away. It is also unreasonable to expect that.
The biggest problem, I think, is that most things boil down to a matter of interpretation. Let's face it, many of the rules are open to several different interpretations. The FOI has to be sure that the answer to any particular question reflects the most likely legal interpretation so, sometimes, a fair bit of consultation is necessary before an answer can be given.
That might take a while and, after all, they all have other things to do during each day. They all, for example, have an annual work schedule - stuff that they have to accomplish each year, within a specific timeframe. So, if they're not in their offices, they might be out to lunch, or they might be out doing the things that are on their work schedule.
It's probably worth remembering, too, that FOIs are pilots, or former pilots, with some exposure to "legal-ese". They aren't solicitors or barristers or QCs, or whatever. So, unless a question is really simple to answer, it would be reasonable to expect a bit of delay in them getting back to you.
For all of that, I feel fairly certain that a referral from
Woomera would be treated with...
or
or
or
or
... or all of the above!
