Accountability Roundtable digs out some answers in Victoria

Things moved during the week from one side talking in the Victorian election about accountability and transparency to all the parties being prepared to say something-when asked. Tim Smith QC chairman of the Accountability Roundtable, writing in The Age today said there is cause for hope about improvement regardless of who wins the election on Saturday, in the light of answers to questions posed to the parties. Hmm, on Freedom of Information reform the ALP is "open to further legislative reform and .. more than ready to examine the models adopted in Queensland and Tasmania." The other parties are more specific about changes that would bring Victoria closer to the emerging national standard. Other aspects are addressed in the responses including the Parliamentary Integrity Commissioner already proposed by the Government and ministerial codes of conduct.

Update: for an FOI-election story, or just due process, see Louise Milligan "FOI stonewall smells like political cover up."