Resourcing of OAIC – Response of ART to the Attorney General
The exchange of correspondence between ART and the AG on the deleterious effects on transparency and freedom of information caused by the lack of resources to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner continues. Here...
ART Submission – Open Government Partnership: Transition from NAP1 to NAP2
The ART submission to the Open Government Partnership National Action Plan round 2 calls for some specific reforms to accountability and openness processes. CONTENTS 1. WHY WE NEED A FEDERAL ANTI-CORRUPTION COMMISSION What...
Congratulations The Honourable Thomas Harrison Smith (Tim Smith) QC – now AM
Congratulations from all of Accountability Round Table and its friends to our Chair of the Accountability Round Table, Tim Smith, who is now the recipient of an Australia Day Honours Award 2018 – Member (AM) in the General...
Stephen Charles argues IBAC is ‘Weak and defective’
Stephen Charles, Accountability Round Table member, warns against Australia adopting the Victorian IBAC Anticorruption model for a National Anticorruption body. This article is reposted from The Age and is available at its...
ART Policy - Campaign finance
Our policy calls for:
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