Senate Economics Legislation Committee, , 5:16:33 to 5:19:45
A debate on government secrecy, the proper application of exemptions, and the effectiveness of the Freedom of Information Act.
Topics: Freedom of information, Integrity
Speakers: Senator Andrew Bragg, Hon Katy Gallagher, Katrina Di Marco, Unknown Speaker
Okay, well I don't want to take up any more of the committee's time because the chair's been generous, but I just make the point to you that um the phrase of government introduced FOI so that people could see how government works. Okay, now this government, maybe prior governments have used it in a way to block access to very basic information. This FOI is just an example of trying to get access to the modelling which underpinned budget judgments, key budget judgments, okay. Um I don't think it's reasonable for the exclusions that have been used here, operational and otherwise, to be used as a justification. Um the reality is that most people who put in FOIs can't come into this committee and ask questions about it. So I'm doing it effectively as a as a citizen to make the point that I don't think you're applying these exemptions properly as a department. That's been my view for a long time. It's been exposed in the past that you've incorrectly use you know irrelevant judgments and other things in relation to these FOIs, and I just think like maybe this is a question for the Minister because I don't want to put the officials in difficult position, but I think generally speaking, like the Centre for Public Integrity has found that your government is very secretive. Um it would be it would aid the public debate if you would at least encourage the department to provide basic information when they are required to under the act rather than hiding behind uh these exemptions where people ask for basic information and get pages and pages and pages of redactions which are not very useful.
Well, if if you're alleging if you're alleging that the FOI uh act is not being applied properly, then pursue that Senator Bragg with any evidence that you have to that. Um the government is not involved in FOI decisions unless they relate to FOIs against ourselves. Um but if they are FOIs to the departments, those are handled by the department. And in my experience, they are handled uh extremely professionally and in accordance with the law.
I would say in in general though, what is your view about the way that the Treasury is responding to FOIs from the citizenry.
Well, I mean I'm done. I am not um you know, Treasury is not my portfolio area, but uh in a general sense, the point I just made is the one that I would uh say is the approach that Treasury give. I'm just like they need to act in accordance with the law.
Senator the Department takes its obligations under the FOI Act very seriously. Um I appreciate your concerns and your views that exemptions aren't applied.
That's right.
In your view, appropriately. Um there are times where we have decisions that get uh that go to the uh information commissioner, for example, where the information commissioner comes to a different view, but there are also equally times where we have decisions that go to the information commissioner and he does and they do come to the same view as we have. So we seek to do so consistently and professionally with every application we receive.