The Hodgman Liberal Government is avoiding scrutiny through uncertainty surrounding the Right to Information review process.
Shadow Attorney General, Ella Haddad, tabled a bill in Parliament today which will ensure Ministers and their delegates are held accountable for the decisions they make.
“The RTI process is about transparency around the release of information to the public, but currently there is confusion over whether the Ombudsman can review decisions handed down by Ministers or their delegates,” Ms Haddad said.
“This uncertainty has been compounded by a recent decision in the Supreme Court which held that decisions made by Ministers and their delegates can’t be reviewed by the Ombudsman.
“This goes against the spirit of RTI legislation here and around the world and needs urgent clarification which is what this Bill seeks to do.
“This has been a long-standing point of difference between the Government and Ombudsman which needs urgent clarification.
“It is no surprise the Government is not moving to resolve this problem with the law as it constantly avoids scrutiny at every turn.
“Labor is committed to open and transparent government and to the active release of public information and these proposed amendments will ensure the Government is held accountable for decisions it makes under the RTI Act.”
Ms Haddad will be releasing the Bill to stakeholders for feedback.
