Media release: FOI delays double in 10 years

FOI delays outside the statutory 30-day period have doubled in the past 10 years, according to new research by the Centre for Public Integrity. As well as systemic delays, the research finds that FOI refusals have increased 50%, while requests granted in full have fallen 30%. The research finds: Bret Walker SC, one of the… Read More

What’s climate got to do with electoral reform? More than you might think

What do electoral laws, social media, climate change and secure work have in common? All have been prioritised for reform by the Labor government – and all are areas where democratic reform is essential. In fact, the links between these four priorities provide a unique opportunity for change. Disinformation and manipulationThe age-old problem of political… Read More

The real question: will federal integrity body probe Labor?

The Albanese government heads into its first parliamentary session next week promising to deliver its election promises. This is laudable. The devil will be in the detail. And devil is the right word when it comes to the details of the promised integrity commission. There is a blindingly obvious rot at the centre of the… Read More

Bernard Collaery: The spy case that ignited an Australian secrecy row

For a decade, Bernard Collaery has been at the centre of an extraordinary legal saga in Australia. It involves one of the country’s biggest diplomatic scandals – a tale of spies, oil and accusations of greed. An esteemed lawyer, Mr Collaery had been staring down a possible jail sentence for helping to expose allegations of… Read More

Calls for probe into Tasmanian political grants, amid revelation club where Liberal family member is treasurer wins $50k

An integrity expert has called for an independent inquiry into the Tasmanian Liberal Party’s use of a controversial grants fund during the 2021 election campaign, arguing millions of dollars of taxpayer money may have been misappropriated. The Liberals established the Local Communities Facilities Fund as an election promise, and a “Liberal Party Policy team” internally… Read More

Labor to introduce real-time disclosures and slash donations thresholds

Politicians would have to declare political donations over $1000 in real time as part of a sweeping package of integrity measures Special Minister of State Don Farrell hopes to introduce by mid-2023. Labor also wants to introduce “truth in political advertising” laws and potentially double the number of senators allocated to the Northern Territory and… Read More

Stronger safeguards around lobbying are a must

In any democracy, lobbying is a vital component of the political process, ensuring that varied interest groups can make their case on specific issues to elected officials. It is a source of reforms to policy, from neighbourhood planning to our response to global issues such as climate change. But in all democracies there is the… Read More

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus orders Commonwealth to drop charges against lawyer Bernard Collaery

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has ordered the Commonwealth to drop the prosecution of lawyer Bernard Collaery, four years after he was charged with conspiring to release classified information about an alleged spying operation in East Timor. Mr Collaery was charged in 2018 for allegedly helping his client, an ex-spy known only as Witness K, to reveal… Read More