More Calls for changes to anti-corruption body
Former Supreme Court judge Tim Smith says the Government's anti-corruption body is doomed to fail. Related Document Calls for changes to-anti-corruption body
Corruption watchdog ‘muzzled’
THE Baillieu government is under pressure to rethink its anti-corruption commission after one of its key advisers accused it of muzzling the body and ''extracting its teeth''. Melissa Fyfe and Royce Millar explain why in an...
Victoria: Ministerial Responsibility – Correspondence to the Premier
Ministerial Responsibility – Correspondence to the Premier. Identical correspondence was sent to the leaders of the Nationals, ALP and Greens.
Inaugural ART Lecture – Fred Chaney: Integrity in Parliament – Where does duty lie?
“At a time when there is much irritation about the functioning of the political process, in this lecture I want to canvass the difficulty of judging politicians through the lens of integrity because of the layers of responsibility they have and the complexity of many of the issues with which they have to deal. In any particular circumstance the answer to the question, what is the right thing to do, depends on judgements about what interest they are supposed to serve and what policy choices they actually have. How a person of integrity should act is dependent on the nature of the questions faced and in whose or what interest he or she should be acting. Where does the politician’s duty lie? “
Fred Chaney
FOR THE COMPLETE LECTURE, CLICK THE ATTACHMENT.
YouTube Video of Fred Chaney’s lecture
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
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
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