The Opposition raised a series of questions in Federal Parliament yesterday, asking the Prime Minister to table advice received on high profile issues such as the inflationary effect of industrial relations policy or the actual cost of the commitment regarding computers in schools, in the light of his "more open government" commitments. The PM avoided specific responses and stuck to this highly familiar refrain:
"On the general question of access to information contained within government, could I also say this: those opposite used and abused the freedom of information system. We have put forward a program to reform FOI. We made it in direct response to the ‘right to know’ campaign led by media organisations in the lead-up to the election. We have made those commitments quite plain, and during the period ahead we will be implementing them."(House of Representatives Hansard 13 May page 8)
The Australian sums it up "Hypocrisy as Rudd dodges open government questions"
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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