Did the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Downer exaggerate test results to claim white powder sent to the Indonesian Embassy in Canberra last year, later shown to be flour, was a biological agent?
That's the claim by Sydney Morning Herald FOI Editor Matthew Moore, based on documents obtained under FOI from ACT Pathology and the Australian Federal Police. The Prime Minister in Parliament yesterday denied any wrongdoing and read a sentence from a briefing note which he claimed justified the description.
As Moore says in a follow up article today, the Prime Minister has refused to release the full advice he and other ministers relied on.
There is an easy way to clear this up - simply release all the documents.
This blog takes an interest in issues associated with Freedom of Information (FOI) and privacy legislation in Australia. Information contained on this site is general in nature and does not constitute legal advice. Follow Peter Timmins on Twitter: @foiguru Follow the open government cause through the Australian Open Government Partnership Network. www.opengovernment.org.au and @opengovau
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