Two NSW Government agencies are in dispute about access to documents. But would you believe this, FOI is said to be preventing the sharing of information between them.
According to a report "Departmental secrecy hampers land-clearing investigation" in the Sydney Morning Herald on Friday, the Department of Environment and Conservation held copies of reports provided by a landholder about land-clearing (relevant to a matter now before the Land and Environment Court), but when the Department of Natural Resources asked for access they were knocked back. A spokesman for the Department of Environment and Conservation said "freedom of information laws did not allow it to pass on the material, even to another NSW government agency".
Maybe the spokesman mispoke. I know FOI isn't flavour of the month in government, but you can't blame it for everything. It doesn't prevent the sharing of information between government agencies. There may be some other justification, but FOI isn't the problem.
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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