Accountability and the Rule of Law – ART workshop, 21 July, 6.15 pm
This event is co-sponsored by Accountability Round Table and Deakin University. Accountability and the Rule of Law. Government Accountability and the Rule of Law are two fundamental features of liberal democracy, recently lauded...
The first task is to find the right answer…. Public service and the decline of capability
The Jim Carlton Annual Integrity Lecture was delivered by Glyn Davis AC, Distinguished Professor of Political Science on 7 May 2021 at the Melbourne Law School, Melbourne University - a collaboration between the Accountability...
Why should we tolerate self-serving politicians?
Dr Colleen Lewis, ANU, writes in the Canberra Times this week: The time has come for hypocritical and self-serving political decision-making to cease. For too long our members of Parliament have either made themselves the...
Rorts register
The Accountability Round Table has developed a register of notable recent rorts or alleged rorts at Federal and State level. We define a rort as ‘any arrangement or practice that enables, or results in, the misuse of public...
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