Grattan on Friday: It can be a battle to get information from the Albanese government
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Thursday, August 31, 2023
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Hardiman detailed a litany of obstacles in resourcing and culture in the administration of FOI, which he could not overcome.
Key Points:
- Hardiman detailed a litany of obstacles in resourcing and culture in the administration of FOI, which he could not overcome.
- The regular Senate estimates hearings, which grill bureaucrats, are welcomed and feared, depending where people sit in the political process.
- It did set up the National Anti-Corruption Commission, and for that it has been rightly praised.
- Whatever one thinks of secrecy around the NACC, there are plenty of other areas where it is clearly excessive.
- Patrick defeated, in a legal judgment, the Morrison government’s attempt to keep secret all the documents of the National Cabinet.
- Albanese before the election promised an inquiry into this, and later commissioned one from the Office of National Intelligence.
- At Tuesday’s Senate Committee hearing, Hardiman said: “FOI may not be considered a sexy subject matter or as being of life-changing importance.