Elections and disinformation
Join us to hear AGM speaker, AEC Commissioner Tom Rogers - 6:45 pm 1st October 2024 at the Woodward Centre, Law Building, 10th floor 106/185 Pelham Street, Carlton. Book HERE for dinner and speaker . Book HERE for Zoom...
Race Mathews biography
Race Mathews is an outstanding member of the labour movement. His remarkable roles are set out in this fresh biography, to be published on 1st October. He established ART - literally around his dining table - one of...
Look into political ads
Published in The Age 10 Aug Detoxing donations to candidates and parties is a necessary but not sufficient reform to campaign finance (Comment, August 9). It is the extraordinary spending on political advertising using...
Vic government reverses bid to abolish Public Records Advisory Council
On Thursday 2nd May, the Victorian Legislative Council passed an amendment to the Estate Agents, Residential Tenancies and Other Acts Amendment (Funding) Bill 2024, which had previously included wording that abolished the Public...
Our priorities for research and campaigns
- Exposing the role of money and the influence of lobbying and reducing their hold on government and political culture
- Promoting openness in government, and how decisions are influenced and made
- Re-asserting the Parliament’s critical but constructive role.
- Battling the tide of mis- and dis-information.
Our 2024/5 policies are currently under development.
We welcome your feedback as they are released.
ART policy - Freedom of Information
A powerful and independent freedom of information scheme must be a central feature of a functional democracy, an essential step toward enhancing transparency and accountability.
The existing basis of FOI legislation laid down in the 1980s is sound – yet over the last decade the culture has become one of secrecy and obstruction. Statutory time limits are commonly breached and redactions are the norm.
ART policies 2022
An Integrity System for Australia
The reforms in brief:
A National Integrity System that is proactive, preventive, coordinated and cooperative | A National Integrity Commission that is independent, has investigative powers, makes recommendations and findings of fact, can investigate the judiciary | Parliamentary Integrity Commissioner
Political donations regime & election funding
The reforms in brief:
Caps of ~$1,000 on donations | Real time disclosure | Limits on election campaign expenditure incl. third party entities | Sanctions for electoral breaches | An independent body for public funding | Laws that require truth in political advertising
Civil society engagement
The reforms in brief:
support civic participation in the OGP | value public participation in decisions and policy | recognise the benefits of public engagement, including that of women | make policy and decisions more transparent | allow NFPs freedom of expression, association and opinion | greater collaboration
see more here …
Data in politics & government
The reforms in brief:
Ban covert digital techniques of influence | remove electoral & privacy act exemptions | supervise government data collection | recognise that personal data cannot be de-identified | control profiling for political use | control government buying-in data | cover social media in advertising rules | ban government data on-selling | citizen opt-in rights
Policy on the big issues – global warming
The reforms in brief:
An evidence-based, whole of government approach to the environment | a transparent mechanism to drive down emissions | government role in decarbonizing solutions | cooling off period for public officers going into the private sector
Lobbyists
The reforms in brief:
In-house lobbyists incl. in Register | matters discussed disclosed | documents made public | funds, gifts & events declared | oversight of Code & Register by the National Integrity System | campaign donations & expenditure limits | more public engagement in decisions | Senate role in countering undue influence
Integrity Lecture, Awards
Submissions
National Integrity Commission, OAIC, OGP