Rudd pushes for stronger FOI lawshttp://www.ozpolitic.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1173068900/378#378Anna Bligh plans to shred veil of secrecy through FOI law reformhttp://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,24897,23844881-601,00.html
A HISTORIC attempt to overcome government secrecy by opening confidential files and strengthening the long-eroded Freedom of Information Act has been launched in Queensland and could be the precursor for reforms across the nation.
Having succeeded Peter Beattie last year with a promise of greater transparency, Queensland Premier Anna Bligh yesterday gave broad support for the 141 recommendations from an FOI review conducted by former barrister and journalist David Solomon. Dr Solomon is also on the advisory committee for a federal review of FOI laws, ordered by Kevin Rudd and being conducted by the Australian Law Reform Commission, and will argue for his reform model to be introduced nationally.
His report, The Right to Information, comes a year after media organisations - including News Limited, publisher of The Australian - joined forces to run the Australia's Right to Know campaign to protest against government secrecy.
Not content to wait for the outcome of the federal review, Ms Bligh wants state cabinet to respond to the Solomon report within eight weeks, allowing for public consultation at the end of the year and legislation to be debated in parliament early next year.
She had repeatedly conceded that the broad cabinet exemptions, heavily criticised by Dr Solomon for allowing documents to be withheld from release under FOI, had been misused and should be overhauled.
But Dr Solomon has gone much further, recommending broad-ranging reforms that would effectively make FOI - to be renamed Right To Information - less relevant.
Not only would all cabinet documents be released after 10 years, instead of 30 years as is currently the case in Queensland, but after every cabinet meeting, the premier would have to decide what not to make public and release an edited cabinet agenda along with any non-confidential documents.
RTI applications - which would be expedited by government, and be less costly to applicants - would face fewer obstacles and be bolstered by a prevailing public interest test.
Personal information could also be accessed outside RTI under a process administered by a state privacy commissioner.
Dr Solomon wants the culture of government to change from allowing the release of information only after the "pull" of the media or others, to actually "push" information into the public arena.
He has recommended new information technology systems be used to record, track and release documents throughout government, and favours a similar culture of transparency in third-party organisations that receive taxpayer funds, such as parliament, courts, government-owned corporations and private schools.
While Ms Bligh vowed to consult widely with third parties who might be affected by such reforms, she said "by and large the other recommendations, in my view, have merit and the Government will ultimately pick them up".
Ms Bligh said she was "comfortable" with the recommended changes to cabinet exemptions, which in theory would allow the release of more documents, and with the broad direction taken by Dr Solomon.
"What has been delivered to government is a plan that, I think, finds the right balance between the legitimate privacy of our citizens, the public interest, and effective government," Ms Bligh told reporters.
While Ms Bligh declared it possible the new model could be introduced before the next election, due late next year, it remains to be seen whether the release of cabinet documents would advantage the Opposition.
Dr Solomon said he expected the move from a 30-year cabinet rule to a 10-year rule would be made progressively, releasing several years of historic documents at a time until the system was up to date.
While Queensland Labor celebrates 10 years in power this week, the cabinet documents of the former Coalition government would be released first.
Ms Bligh, who has sought to differentiate herself from Mr Beattie, could also benefit from the release of documents pertaining to Labor's early years in government.