by jmsthornton | Mar 17, 2015 | Election, New South Wales, News, Open Government
The New South Wales election on 28th of March is another opportunity to advance the transparency and accountability of government. The Accountability Round Table has sought from parties contesting the recent Victorian and Queensland elections, assurances concerning...
by jmsthornton | Feb 5, 2015 | Public Trust, Trust in Government
The principle of “Public office, Public trust” has been discussed before on this website, notably by Tim Smith in 2012, and again in July 2014, and further, in October 2014, Tim discussed public trust in the context of urban planning. Thanks to David...
by jmsthornton | Feb 5, 2015 | Fitzgerald Principles
DESCRIPTION AND HISTORY The Fitzgerald Principles are four overarching statements of parliamentary transparency and accountability. These principles are; 1. Govern for the peace, welfare and good government of the State; 2. Make all decisions and take all actions,...
by jmsthornton | Feb 2, 2015 | Corruption, New South Wales, Political Funding
Following the revelations of the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption into donations and political influence, in June 2014, the NSW Government established an Expert Panel under the leadership of Dr Kerry Schott. This panel was to consider and report on long...
by jmsthornton | Jan 30, 2015 | Corruption, Election, Queensland, Reforms
In an interview broadcast on the ABC 7.30 program on 28 Jan 2015, Tony Fitzgerald, former head of the Commission of Inquiry into corruption in Queensland politics which set new benchmarks for anti corruption measures in Australia, has strongly criticized the erosion...