Good on the PM for taking the lead in telling us about the first 100 days of the Rudd Government. The report card includes a number of references to transparency and accountability issues including community cabinet meetings; a start on campaign finance reform through the introduction of legislation to remove tax deductibility for campaign donations; more open process for Reserve Bank appointments, release of Bank Board minutes and statements of reasons for decisions; statement of principles for the foreign investment screening process; and of course the proposed 2020 summit. This editorial in the Sydney Morning Herald provides an objective but still positive assessment.
Also in the context of the first 100 days, The Australian today has an article about the quiet behind the scenes work of Minister of State John Faulkner initially focusing on the need to clean out "the Augean stables left at the very heart of the machinery of government by John Howard". According to Glen Milne, Faulkner believes they are "filthy" and amount to an attempt to corrupt the system, and "a very real threat to the democracy itself". The Minister sees the need for change, including Freedom of Information reform and quickly, and thinks that "sunlight is the best disinfectant".
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