Page 2804 - Week 08 - Thursday, 11 August 2016
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number of restrictions that prevent public access to information. To me, that is distilled down into two very simple points. We now have a push model where government will release a range of information that it has, which I am sure the public will find beneficial. It means that it will simply be published as a matter of course; people will not have to ask for it. This will, in the long run, reduce the number of freedom of information applications because people will simply have the information and they will not need to ask for it.
The second point is that there will be a greater application of the public interest test. As I have been clear in my remarks today, I would have liked to have seen that expanded further, but we have made some progress today and I think we can consider some of this at future points in time. Assessing whether information should be released based on the public interest rather than on simple blanket categorisations, I believe—and the Greens strongly argue—is a better way to examine what information should or should not be released.
In bringing that architecture to the legislation we have, as Mrs Dunne said, made it much better legislation. I am pleased to have been able to get us to this point. I look forward to the implementation of the legislation. As I said earlier today, I think that as government and the public get used to this, it will produce better government. A more transparent government is a better government and that is what this legislation will help achieve.
Bill, as a whole, as amended, agreed to.
Bill, as amended, agreed to.
Justice and Community Safety—Standing Committee
Scrutiny report 48
MR DOSZPOT (Molonglo) (5.09): I present the following report:
Justice and Community Safety—Standing Committee (Legislative Scrutiny Role)—Scrutiny Report 48—2016 Australia–New Zealand Scrutiny of Legislation Conference, dated 10 August 2016, together with a copy of an extract from the relevant minutes of proceedings.
I move:
That the report be noted.
The report that I have tabled relates to the scrutiny committee’s attendance at the 2016 Australia-New Zealand scrutiny of legislation conference in July. The conference was hosted by the Western Australian parliament and was attended by representatives of legislative scrutiny committees from most of the Australian parliaments, together with New Zealand and other international delegations. The committee members who were able to attend found the conference to be very beneficial and provided an opportunity to meet with members from other jurisdictions to discuss and observe how legislative scrutiny regimes operate elsewhere.
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