The Accountability Roundtable is urging greater reforms to Australia’s freedom of information regime.   It is one of 16 organisations and individuals committed to greater transparency that signed an open letter to the...

Sophie Torney joins Board

Sophie Torney joins Board

Welcome Sophie Torney to the Board! Sophie is a project manager, was co-founder of tech co, bwired, independent candidate in 2022 state election and is Exec of Electrify Boroondara.

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.

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.

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 

see more here …

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

see more here …

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 

see more here …

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

see more here …

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

see more here …

Integrity Lecture, Awards

Submissions

National Integrity Commission, OAIC, OGP

Jim Carlton Annual Integrity Lecture by Prof. Peter Doherty

The Jim Carlton Annual Integrity Lecture 2023 was given by Professor Peter Doherty, Nobel Laureate, AC, FAA, FRS on 19 April 2023 Much public...

ART Integrity Awards presented in Parliament today

The awards The Button Award for ministers who served on the front bench - The Hon Dr Andrew Leigh MP for his exemplary performance in raising the level of debate on economic and social issues Dr Leigh said: Humbled to have received the Accountability Round Table's...

INTEGRITY AWARDS 2022

You are invited to the presentation of the Accountability Round Table Integrity Awards. Four awards will be presented by Chair of ART, Prof Spencer Zifcak at Parliament House on Monday 5 September at 11am. Since 2010 ART has recognised parliamentarians who have...

SPEECH. The Hon Barry Jones Jim Carlton Lecture. ‘Liberty, Fraternity and – what was the other word?’

JIM CARLTON INTEGRITY LECTURE 2022 Accountability Round Table (ART) -  Melbourne Law School (MLS) The Hon Barry Jones presented the Annual ART and Melbourne University Law School Jim Carlton Lecture at Melbourne Law School on Friday 29 April 2022 ‘Liberty, Fraternity...

Misuse of Publicly Funded Electorate Resources – ART’s submission to Operation Watts (Victoria)

On 28 January 2022, Accountability Round Table made a submission to Operation Watts, the coordinated investigation of Party misuse of public resources between IBAC and the Victorian Ombudsman. Our submission was directed to the questions raised by IBAC and the...

Senate Select Committee on COVID-19. ART Submission

This submission to the Senate Select Committee on COVID-19 was made by Accountability Round table on 27 May 2020. It addresses the absence of independent scrutiny of government actions during the period of the Covid19 crisis. In particular, the exclusion of...

ART Submissions to Open Government Partnership – National Action Plan

The Open Government Partnership Australia has sought submissions on Australia's second Open Government National Action Plan 2018-20. The next National Action Plan is is due by the end of August, 2018. Consultation with the public is being sought. There are five topics...

IBAC Submission by Accountability Round Table

Inquiry by the Independent Broad-based Anticorruption  Commission Committee of the Parliament of Victoria into the external oversight of police corruption and misconduct in Victoria. Submission by the Accountability Roundtable Received 14th September 2017...

Open Government Week May 8-12

Open Government Week 2023 will be used globally to develop and implement the OGP’s new five-year strategy that seeks to expand and empower the community, making open government the norm across all levels and branches of government, and becoming a hub of stories and...

National Anti-corruption Bill – ART’s response

The Accountability Round Table welcomes the introduction of the National Anti-Corruption Commission Bill and acknowledges this as a breakthrough moment for integrity and accountability of our national government. The Bill provides for the creation of a powerful...

Book Launch! KEEPING THEM HONEST – Stephen Charles and Catherine Williams

KEEPING THEM HONEST: the case for a genuine national integrity commission and other vital democratic reforms, a new book by Stephen Charles and Catherine Williams was launched on Monday 4th April. See below for Stephen Charles opinion piece in The Age on 16 04 2022 on...

Open Government Partnership – warning to Australia!

The Open Government Partnership (OGP), is an international organisation which now includes 78 countries and 76 local governments. Its purpose is to encourage governments to be more open, responsive and accountable to their citizens and work towards improving...