ART is disappointed in the response from the ALP and Coalition to its survey on accountability measures. It seems very unlikely, whichever party (or parties) forms government, that the next Federal Government will be willing to take on the reforms necessary to deliver best practice in integrity and accountability. ART Acting Chair, Ken Coghill welcomed the commitments from the Greens and said ART will encourage the cross bench to pursue these measures in the new Parliament. Labor TI response* Co

Nomination have opened for The Accountability Round Table Integrity Awards, for the 44th Australian Parliament. The Accountability Round Table will once again honour Federal Parliamentarians who have demonstrated outstanding commitment to integrity during the Parliament that has just been prorogued. ART is calling for nominations for its two awards – the John Button Award for a Minister or Shadow Minister and frontbenchers, and the Allan Missen Award for backbenchers of both Houses of Parliament

The Accountability Round Table is a non-partisan group of citizens with diverse backgrounds (academics, lawyers, politicians, journalists, authors) who are concerned with the current erosion of honesty and integrity in our democracy.  The Accountability Round Table is dedicated to improving standards of accountability, probity, transparency and democratic practice in all governments and parliaments in Australia.

As followers of this website will be aware, it has been down for the last few days. It was hacked and was sending spam behind our backs. All fixed now and you can use it with confidence knowing that it has been very closely examined for malware and is now a very very clean site with extra security. Back to fixing other more human forms of corruption! The ART website team.  

The Accountability Round Table today (Tues 14 June) asked political parties and candidates to commit to measures to improve the integrity and accountability of government. Chair of ART, Tim Smith QC, former Supreme Court Judge said The Commonwealth Government Integrity System is one of the weakest in Australia.  Our request for commitments focusses on its most serious weaknesses.  The responses of the parties and candidates will shed light on their own commitment to integrity. Measures cover: A 

ONE STEP FORWARD….. At last we have a major win. Thanks to some tireless and extensive lobbying from ART and others concerned with transparency, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner has been re-funded. Furthermore, some special  attention has been paid to reinforcing funding for Freedom of Information by transferring it from the Attorney General’s department. However its not all good news. That the Government had decided not to proceed with its Bill to abolish the OA