The issue of open government and Freedom of Information (FOI) is again in the news, after the federal government proposed major reforms to the system.

FOI laws allow people to access government documents (subject to exceptions) and are routinely used by journalists, academics and the general public.

The reforms, which are going to a  parliamentary committee for review, raise important questions about how we modernise these decades-old laws while ensuring government is transparent and can be easily held to account.

This proposed reform, which severely threatens government transparency, is not the way to do it.

What is the government proposing?

The government says the  FOI Amendment Bill will introduce measures to modernise the FOI system and make it more efficient.

Changes include introducing fees for certain applications, a ban on anonymous FOI requests and stronger powers to deter vexatious, abusive and frivolous requests.

The amount of the application fee is not yet clear, but according to  media reports, it is expected to be between $30 and $58 per application.

This would be in addition to the  current costs that people may incur from the department as they gather relevant information.

Personal information requests (where people request information about their own government files) will be exempt from this charge.

In addition, the government is proposing substantial changes to provisions relating to “deliberative” processes and cabinet documents.

Attorney-General Michelle Rowland has  stated these changes are necessary........

© Pearls and Irritations