New SMH FOI editor out of pocket

The Sydney Morning Herald has appointed one of its most experienced journalists, Mathew Moore, FOI editor.

In his first piece in the position Moore comments about the high cost of FOI, citing Herald experiences in dealing with some Federal departments. It’s a sad reminder that access to documents about policy and related matters, comes, if at all, at a high price. Some of the arguments used to refuse the Herald a rebate of fees are inventive and don’t accord any weight to the public interest in knowing what the Government knows about matters of significance to the community.