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.
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...
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...
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...
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