11.03.2010
Secrecy Laws and Open Government in Australia (ALRC Report 112)
Official secrecy has a necessary and proper province in our system of government. A surfeit of secrecy does not.On 5 August 2008, the Attorney-General of Australia, the Hon Robert McClelland MP, asked the Australian Law Reform Commission to conduct an Inquiry into options for ensuring a consistent approach across government to the protection of Commonwealth …
Read more25.12.2009
Secrecy laws and open government
Secrecy laws that impose obligations of confidentiality on individuals handling government information—and the prosecution of public servants for the unauthorised disclosure of such information—can sit uneasily with the Australian Government’s commitment to open and accountable government. Secrecy laws have also drawn sustained criticism on the basis that they unreasonably interfere with the right to freedom …
Read more18.06.2009
Media Briefing – Review of Secrecy Laws: Discussion Paper 74
Introduction This briefing provides an overview of the ALRC’s Discussion Paper, Review of Secrecy Laws (DP 74). On 5 August 2008, the Attorney-General of Australia, the Hon Robert McClelland MP, asked the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) to conduct an Inquiry into options for ensuring a consistent approach across government to the protection of Commonwealth information …
Read more18.06.2009
ALRC proposals to wind back federal secrecy laws
The Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) today released a Discussion Paper for its current inquiry into federal secrecy laws—Review of Secrecy Laws (DP 74, June 2009)—which makes 65 proposals for reform.The ALRC is seeking community feedback about how to balance a growing commitment to increased openness and transparency in government with the legitimate need to maintain the …
Read more25.04.2009
Review of Secrecy Laws (DP 74)
This Discussion Paper contains a more detailed treatment of the issues raised in the Issues Paper (IP 34) and indicates the Inquiry’s thinking in the form of specific reform proposals.DP 74 is divided into 15 chapters. Proposals for reform are not spread evenly throughout. The early chapters provide mainly contextual or background material, which does not …
Read more15.02.2009
Review of Secrecy Laws: Inquiry Snapshot
To facilitate communication about the nature and focus of this Inquiry the ALRC released an overview document, Review of Secrecy Laws—Inquiry Snapshot, in February 2009.Itis written in plain language and provides a ready access to information about the Inquiry and is available online as a virtual document.
Read more09.02.2009
National phone-in and blog on Commonwealth Secrecy Laws
The Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) today announced a national two day phone-in and new online discussion forum as part of its commitment to engaging in widespread community consultation on reform of Commonwealth secrecy laws. Anyone who has ever been involved in handling Commonwealth information will have the chance to speak out about their personal experiences …
Read more15.12.2008
Review of Secrecy Laws (IP 34)
IP 34 (released December 2008) is the first consultation document produced during the course of the Secrecy Inquiry. It identifies the main issues relevant to the Inquiry, provides background information and encourages informed community participation.View IP 34 in HTML on the AustLII website.
Read more09.12.2008
Do we need secrecy laws in an open society?
The Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) today released a community consultation paper for its current inquiry into Commonwealth Secrecy laws.—Review of Secrecy Laws (Issues Paper 34)—which seeks ideas and feedback about how we balance the need to maintain the secrecy and confidentiality of some government documents with a commitment to increased openness and transparency. ALRC …
Read more05.08.2008
ALRC to tackle government secrecy laws
The Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) welcomed the announcement today by the Commonwealth Attorney-General, the Hon Robert McClelland MP, of new Terms of Reference for the ALRC to review secrecy provisions in federal legislation. The Terms of Reference ask the ALRC to focus on: ‘the importance of balancing the need to protect Commonwealth information and …
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