Editorial
November 22, 2007 12:00am
SECRECY has become the pervasive form of self-protection for governments throughout Australia.
That is why the Right to Know coalition, supported by the Herald Sun and other media outlets, is campaigning against secrecy in government and the erosion of free speech.
We condemn moves that limit our right to know but we should also applaud when politicians make it easier to shine a light on the inner workings of government.
The Victorian Government has taken a few steps away from secrecy with a revamp of Freedom of Information laws.
Premier John Brumby announced an end to so-called conclusive certificates, thus removing the power of senior bureaucrats to arbitrarily block FoI requests.
The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal will now adjudicate if the Government refuses to release a document.
The Premier also announced the axing of the $22 FoI lodgment fee and said the new legislation will force departments to update information on the internet.
The Government claims the legislation will implement all of the recommendations of an inquiry into FoI laws by Ombudsman George Brouwer.
These changes are welcome but censorship and severe restrictions in obtaining information under FoI remain, as does the increasing use of court suppression orders.
We lack effective shield laws for journalists who refuse to reveal their sources and whistleblower protection for civil servants who expose wrongdoing in government.
There is much to be done at a state and federal level to reverse the corrosive culture of secrecy that is a blight on our freedoms.
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