Deputy NSW Ombudsman corrects record

We recently posted an item concerning the NSW Ombudsman’s Annual Report on FOI in NSW. You will see that the item attracted an anonymous comment, to which Chris Wheeler, Deputy Ombudsman has now responded as follows.

In the interests of correcting the record, it appears that Anonymous has attributed a statement to the Ombudsman which was not made in his Annual Report or in his report on the audit of FOI reporting by agencies. Specifically, the Ombudsman did not “categorise an increase in the number of applications partially released as symptomatic of a culture intending to frustrate the disclosure of information generally…”.

What the Ombudsman actually said in his Annual Report was:

“There has been a significant and disturbing downward trend in the percentage of applications where all documents requested were released in full – from 81% of determinations in 1995-96 to 55% in 2004-05.”

In his report on the audit of FOI reporting by agencies the Ombudsman said:

“Since we started auditing, there has been a significant and disturbing downward trend in matters where it is reported that documents were disclosed in full.”

In the Press Release for the tabling of his Annual Report in Parliament the Ombudsman said:

“The significant and disturbing downward trend in the full release of documents under FOI has continued for the ninth year running.”

The Ombudsman went on to say:

“NSW has the lowest rate of full release of documents of all mainland States and the Commonwealth, … The rate of full release in NSW is 20% below the average for these other states and the Commonwealth.”