Search This Blog

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Responses to FOI proposals.

Some citizens speak:
From letters in The Australian:

Faulkner, freedom fighter: Three cheers for John Faulkner, a rare politician with the guts and integrity to put the interests of the whole community ahead of the interests of his party with the drafting of the new freedom of information laws. Mark Pearce Richmond, NSW

Could Special Minister of State John Faulkner please give Communications Minister Stephen Conroy a copy of the proposed FOI legislation with the bit that says "and potential embarrassment will no longer be an excuse for keeping government documents secret" underlined? Maybe then Senator Conroy will come to his senses and give up pushing the unworkable internet filtering proposal he is obsessing about. Stephen Mead Rowville, Vic

And from the Sydney Morning Herald:

A rare political animal: Only a politician with nothing to hide could conceive of and drive the agenda for more transparent freedom of information legislation. John Faulkner: a rare and tireless ethical politician who respects public office above anything else ("Democracy should be the freedom to know", March 25). Robyn Dalziell Castle Hill

A more open society such as the "courageous" Senator Faulkner foreshadows requires that the media play a critical part, yes, but a responsible one. Beat-ups with screaming headlines about unpopular but essential political decisions are likely to make politicians pull their heads in faster than a threatened tortoise and revert to the darkness and safety beneath the shell. Ron Sinclair Bathurst.

As well as some of the usual suspects, with overall positives, as reported by Nicola Berkovic in The Australian.

No comments:

Post a Comment