Taxpayers will fork out $80,000 for the federal agriculture department to work out how to better handle freedom of information requests.
That's roughly $1000 an hour, Labor estimates.
The review was launched after the department bungled an FOI request from Labor agriculture spokesman Joel Fitzgibbon's office demanding details of ministerial changes to the parliamentary record.
Those changes were linked to the sacking of former department boss Paul Grimes.
Dr Grimes initiated the review following a February estimates hearing in which the department's chief lawyer Kerrie-Anne Luscombe conceded the FOI request should have been sent directly to Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce's office.
Labor senators branded the review a waste of taxpayers' money at a Senate budget estimates hearing on Monday.
But Dr Grimes's acting replacement Phillip Glyde defended the cost as necessary to learn from past mistakes.
"I know it's a lot of money but it's a worthwhile investment given the sensitivities of getting FOI request handling right," he said.
Mr Glyde earlier announced Ms Luscombe would not appear at the hearing because she was on personal leave.
He also revealed a separate FOI request was being processed relating to Dr Grimes and the Hansard changes.
While he did not go into details, Mr Fitzgibbon claims it's an undisclosed letter between Dr Grimes and Mr Joyce.
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