ARTICLE · 27 NOVEMBER 2009

Freedom Of Information - A Brave New World

Norton Rose Fulbright Australia

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Amidst the debate over the Emissions Trading Scheme, the Government has also taken the opportunity to introduce the next stage of its reforms to freedom of information.

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Ashley Tsacalos

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Amidst the debate over the Emissions Trading Scheme, the Government has also taken the opportunity to introduce the next stage of its reforms to freedom of information. Yesterday, the Government introduced the Freedom of Information Amendment (Reform) Bill 2009 (Cth) and the Information Commissioner Bill 2009 (Cth) into the House of Representatives. The aim of both Bills is to promote more disclosure of government information and provide national consistency between FOI and privacy laws.

As part of its 2007 election policy, the Government announced that it would reform the FOI landscape with the principle objects of promoting a pro-disclosure culture across the Government and building a stronger foundation for more openness in government. The reforms are being implemented in two stages:

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