The Accountability Round Table
The Accountability Round Table is dedicated to improving standards of accountability, transparency, ethical behaviour and democratic practice in Commonwealth and State parliaments and governments across Australia. More here.
Open Government – never more needed
After many years of discussion, Australia will soon have a federal anti-corruption commission. In a nation generally seen as one of the less corrupt, and more transparent and democratic countries in the world, what other opportunities and challenges for reform exist?...
Jim Carlton Annual Integrity Lecture 19 April 6pm – book now
We are delighted to announce that the Jim Carlton Annual Integrity Lecture 2023 will be given by Professor Peter Doherty, Nobel Laureate, AC, FAA, FRS on 19 April 2023 The subject of the lecture: Integrity and Complex Systems: The Rum Rebellion or...
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...
Australia Day: a long perspective by Barry Jones
Australia Day 65,000 BCE, 1788 CE and 2023: a long perspective. 65,000 BCE Homo sapiens first arrived in Australia about 65,000 years before ‘the common era’, or BCE. We cannot pin down a specific day for their arrival. We don’t use the abbreviations AD or BC of the...
The reforms we want from the Federal Government
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