by jmsthornton | Jan 31, 2018 | Federal Government, Freedom of Information, Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, Open Government Partnership (OGP)
Accountability Round Table continues to pursue better resourcing of the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner. Following the appointment of Australia’s new Attorney General, The Hon Christian Porter, Accountability Round Table sent the following...
by jmsthornton | Nov 16, 2016 | Annual Integrity Lecture, News
The Accountability Round Table hosts an annual lecture by a prominent Australian on matters of Parliamentary integrity and accountability. This year the lectures have been renamed “The Jim Carlton Lectures” in honour of the late Hon. Jim Carlton AO, who...
by jmsthornton | Aug 19, 2016 | Code of Conduct, Federal Government, Fitzgerald Principles, Freedom of Information, Lobbying, News, Open Government Partnership (OGP), Public Trust, Queensland, Queensland Crime Commissions, Reforms
This paper, “Democracy at the Crossroads?” was delivered by Hon Tim Smith QC at the Cairn’s Tropical Writers Festival, 11 August 2016. In it, he sets out two broad principles to which members of parliament should adhere, The “Fitzgerald Principles” and The...
by jmsthornton | Apr 10, 2016 | Corruption, Federal Government, Freedom of Information, Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, Open Government Partnership (OGP)
The Open Government Partnership, an international effort to secure commitments from governments worldwide ” to promote transparency, empower citizens, fight corruption and harness new technologies to strengthen governance” was signed up to by the Turnbull...
by jmsthornton | Mar 10, 2016 | Federal Government, Ombudsman, Submissions, Whistleblowing
Whistleblower protection in the Public Service is covered by the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2013 (PID Act). The PID Act came into operation in January 2014 to encourage public officials to disclose suspected wrongdoing in the Commonwealth public sector. The...