The federal government is flouting laws designed to expose its decisions to scrutiny, with internal emails revealing that top officials are “unfazed” by the breaches of the Freedom of Information Act.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s own department has defied the law on repeated requests for information, forcing applicants to wait for decisions with no explanation for the delays.

The Department of Home Affairs has also confirmed that it is up to 131 days overdue on one application, far outside the statutory requirement to respond within 30 days of a request.

The results fuel the debate over the public’s right to know about government policies and decisions at a time when publishers are calling for more transparency including stronger adherence to the FOI law.

Labor cited the responses to several of its FOI requests as examples of the government breaching the law.