Two more incoming government briefs surfaced in the lead up to Christmas, now close to six months after the government received them: Education Employment and Workplace Relations and Prime Minister and Cabinet. In terms of detail they are in sharp contrast. The PM&C brief has been heavily redacted, seemingly more so than others published to date, The brief as released won't do much to inform debate on the major issues facing the nation (Volumes A and B) as, for the most part, only headings remain intact.The brief has been published as seven separate pdf files, making searching difficult. But not for the PM and other readers who according to the covering brief were provided with an iPad version "in fully searchable format that is both portable and easy to use." What appears to be a complete Record of Election Commitments - PDF 3.4MB likely will prove handy, despite the fact that costings and the Department's initial assessment of each were redacted.
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The PM&C brief is next to useless in informing any kind of community debate about issues; for the most part, even a statement about what an issue might be is redacted. What are the issues for this Government? What does it stand for? Where is its narrative? This was a perfect opportunity for the PM to show evidence of some thought and planning behind the national agenda.
ReplyDeleteI agree- but at least they got to the starting line. DFAT didn't.
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