Entries Tagged 'Australia' ↓

The House of Representatives has passed a Bill to remove the power to issue conclusive certificates in the Freedom of Information Act 1982 and the Archives Act 1983.

“Previously, the laws prevented the release of documents sought in the public interest through the issuing of conclusive certificates,” Cabinet Secretary Joe Ludwig said.

“The new legislation means the Administrative Appeals Tribunal may now undertake a full merits review of all exemption claims under FOI.

“This is an important step towards reforming FOI laws to promote a culture of disclosure within government.”

“It will restore the principles that underlie the purpose of FOI legislation – to give members of the public a right of access to information held by government.

“The passage of this bill is in keeping with the Rudd Government’s election commitment to restore trust and integrity in government.”

Comment: This is a positive step forward, but it remains to be seen how it works in practice. There is a strong culture in the public service and among governments of both sides to block as much information as they possibly can and to make FoI applications as difficult as possible.

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Special Minister of State and Cabinet Secretary, Senator Joe Ludwig, today announced the government has referred the framework which governs federal referenda to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs for inquiry.

“The government wants to ensure that the Referendum (Machinery Provisions) Act 1984 is modern and effective,” Senator Ludwig said.

“Options for improvement in this area were identified during a discussion at the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs roundtable in April 2008.

“No committees appear to have looked in depth at the Referendum Act recently and this area is long overdue for reform.” Continue reading →

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When it comes to substantial issues confronting regional Australia, there is an increasing trend towards common ground being reached between the Greens and the Nationals.

That’s not surprising really, given the core policy objectives of the two parties.

A sustainable, vibrant future for the bush (Nationals) is compatible with a sustainable environmental future for Australia (Greens).

The common ground has rarely translated so far into political deals, although there seems to be a working relationship developing in the Senate.

At the 2007 Federal Election, the Nationals gave the Greens a favorable preference flow in the Senate in exchange for lower house preferences ahead of Labor in O’Connor. Continue reading →

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The Commonwealth Auditor General was nearly as damning as one can be in bureaucratic language when it came to reporting on the Administration of Parliamentarians’ Entitlements by the Department of Finance and Deregulation.

In haunting echoes of the British parliamentary rorts scandal, Auditor General Ian McPhee has uncovered some questionable claims in his thorough examination.

These include children’s books, novels, travel guides and lollies.

The Auditor General’s conclusion: Continue reading →

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Is the Liberal Party losing touch with the business community or is the business community losing faith in the Liberal Party?

The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry has today called for a continuation of stimulus measures to support the economy.

The call comes before a Senate debate and after Liberal leader Malcolm Turnbull again pronounced that Australia should scale back stimulus spending given the strength of the domestic economy.

Personally, I think the government has handled things fairly well, except for the extra handout to individuals and mismanagement of the schools grants. Continue reading →

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The Australian Red Cross Blood Service is celebrating National Blood Donor Week from 7 – 14 September.

To help kick off this special week, which aims to recognise blood donors around the country for their
generosity and support, State Member for Barwon and Shadow Minister for Healthy Lifestyles Kevin
Humphries MP will be rolling up his sleeve alongside fellow parliamentarians.

In addition to kicking of National Blood Donor Week, Kevin Humphries MP is also spearheading the Prick a
Pollie campaign in NSW which encourages members of all sides of politics to donate blood.

It’s a brave politician who allows the word “prick” to be in the same sentence as his or her occupation.

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Government House issued a statement today (full text below) to mark the first anniversary of Governor General Quentin Bryce’s term in office.

I haven’t seen a statement like this before. It hardly seems necessary.

That said, I’ve been impressed by Ms Bryce. She carries herself appropriately and brings a certain dignity to the role.

The only real controversy in her first year was the African jaunt to drum up votes for an Australia seat on the United Nations Security Council. Continue reading →

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The Federal Government has got itself into hot water over its mandatory signage for schools that receive funding under “Building the Education Revolution”.

As foreshadowed last week, the Australian Electoral Commission has ruled the signs constitute electoral matter and require authorisation.

The issue is serious given schools are often polling places as well.

However, the AEC has decided it’s not a breach of polling place rules because the signs are more than six metres from the actual booth.

That may not be the case at all polling places and it will be interesting to see if exceptions are highlighted. Continue reading →

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Today is Australian National Flag Day. The Commonwealth of Australia was inaugurated in January 1901 under the Union Flag of Great Britain.

After a national competition, five entrants were jointly credited with creating the design that continues to symbolise Australia today.

The flag was flown for the first time on this day 108 years ago. Continue reading →

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I was all in favor of award modernisation when the concept was first proposed.

There are many archaic awards in Australia, sometimes covering sections within industries. They need to be revamped and brought into the 21st century.

Winning a mandate to achieve this should not have been used by the Rudd Government to reduce flexibility and rip off employers.

Instead of having to pay double time on Sundays, penalty rates for casual staff to work weekends should have been abolished.

After all, the jobs are casual. The people work because they want to. If they don’t want to work on weekends, they won’t. Continue reading →

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