Both parties refused.
Freedom of Information means the right of the public to access information Federal Government ministers and agencies hold.
The FOI Act recognises the information government holds is a national resource and is managed for public purposes, and that public access to it should be prompt and at the lowest reasonable cost.
Lodging a request sets you back about $30, but when or if you receive the requested documents, you are sent an invoice for the hours spent on your request.
In 2023, the Victorian Government launched an inquiry into the Freedom of Information Act.
Chairman of the inquiry Tim Read said the current system had strayed from the purpose of the 1982 act.
“The submissions and witnesses in public hearings also explained that many state agencies take a defensive approach to FOI, relying heavily on legal exemptions to release as little information as possible, contrary to the spirit of the Victorian FOI law,” Dr Read said.
“Delays, high fees, complexity, the poor state of public records, unhelpful culture, and refusals to release information are all cited as reasons for our current system’s reputation for being impenetrable.
“In terms of the international standards and best practice principles, the current system does not foster maximum disclosure of information, including through proactive and informal release, and its exemptions are too broad and often used against the spirit of the right to information.”
“In recent years the majority of complaints have involved delays by agencies in making an FOI decision,” the Office of the Information Commissioner’s submission said.
“There is no power under the FOI Act for a Commissioner to require an agency or Minister to make an FOI decision by a specified date.”
The public interest tests in the Victorian, NSW and Commonwealth ATI laws, operate to withhold information where the public interest favours non-disclosure, the final report tabled in September 2024 said.
The final parliamentary inquiry provided 101 recommendations, including abolishing access fees.
To read the full report, head to parliament.vic.gov.au/foi-report
– This article is part of a three-part series about the traffic lights near SAM, which have sat unused for almost five years.
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