In addition to the Commonwealth contract information in the public domain that has had a going over in the Sydney Morning Herald this week, another public disclosure advance worth noting is the publication of Government grants. I haven't checked what's there and what isn't but a big tick for putting grants from various agencies up on a single site. The search engine includes a city option to search grants by locality. Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner issued a direction in January last year that each agency publish a list of grants on its website. This centralised data base is a step forward on that. However the publication requirement should have a basis in legislation. Grants like contracts should be explicit publication requirements spelled out in the Freedom of Information Reform legislation currently before Parliament. They aren't at present.
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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Thursday, March 11, 2010
Government grants out in the open, in some places.
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