New right to information laws in NSW and Tasmania from 1 July didn't spark much coverage in major media in either state with no take up I can see on the media release by Tasmanian Attorney General Lara Giddings welcoming the commencement of the RTI Act, or on a similar release by NSW Information Commissioner Deirdre O'Donnell. Commissioner O'Donnell gave applicants this useful quote to use in response to contiunuing run-around:
"There will no longer be any excuse for long drawn out applications for every piece of information requested by a member of the public or a journalist," she said. Under the GIPA Act, all government agencies must try to provide the requested information quickly and informally, with formal applications an absolute last resort."
There may be more, but the only mentions of the new era in NSW that came to attention were in two local papers who understandably gave it some local flavour. Good on the Manly Daily 26 June and the Braidwood Times 30 June.
The NSW Office of Information Commissioner has a quarter page advertisement in today's Sydney papers announcing the changes and its role.If it appeared in the Daily Telegraph it makes an interesting bookend with this "Secret state" front-page screamer.
The NSW Office of Information Commissioner has a quarter page advertisement in today's Sydney papers announcing the changes and its role.If it appeared in the Daily Telegraph it makes an interesting bookend with this "Secret state" front-page screamer.
Can we see the InfoCom ads?
ReplyDeleteAvailable in the hard copy only by the look of it.
ReplyDelete