✍️ ADD YOUR NAME: End Government Secrecy
The Albanese Government has been labelled more secretive than the Morrison Government – and we know why.
For too long, ministers and senior public servants have abused process to deny and delay freedom of information requests, such as refusing access to documents from former ministers and spuriously claiming that public servants would fail to give “frank and fearless” advice if that advice were publicly disclosed.
Now, the Labor Government’s proposed changes to freedom of information laws threaten to further entrench a culture of secrecy and make citizens pay for it.
Australians have a right to access government information and to understand how decisions are made on their behalf.
✍️ Add your name to the petition now to call on the Albanese Government to end government secrecy.
Australia Institute research into Freedom of Information laws:
- Only 21% of 2023-24 FOI requests were granted in full compared to 81% in 2006-07.
- Whereas the average request once took 13 hours to determine (2006-07), it now takes 51 hours (2023-24). In other words, the Albanese government employs four public servants to do what only took one public servant under the Howard government.
- If the Albanese government achieved the Howard government’s cost-per-FOI-request ratio, taxpayers would save $61 million per year.
- The Robodebt Royal Commission recommended making cabinet documents subject to freedom of information requests but the government’s changes would instead make it even harder to access cabinet-related documents.
Read more here.
Six ideas to fix Australia’s secrecy problem:
The Australia Institute’s inaugural 2024 Transparency Summit brought together experts, whistleblowers and those working to ensure the interests of all Australians are represented in our policy-making process. Here are six big ideas that came out of it:
- Public hearings in the National Anti-Corruption Commission
- Rewards for whistleblowers
- Establishing a Whistleblower Protection Authority
- Refining freedom of information and secrecy laws
- Truth-telling
- Protecting public interest journalism
Read more here.
To the Hon. Michelle Rowland MP, Attorney-General --
Australians have a right to access government information and to understand how decisions are made on their behalf.
But instead of promoting transparency, this Labor government is entrenching a culture of secrecy.
We call on the Australian Government to:
1. Stop the proposed changes to Freedom of Information laws – and fix the broken FOI system
2. Establish a Whistleblower Protection Authority and whistleblower reward scheme
3. Let the National Anti-Corruption Commission hold public hearings in the public interest
4. Disclose Cabinet documents within 30 days, as New Zealand does, and publish ministerial diaries