The ALRC produces a range of publications including:
- Inquiry Reports,
- Consultation Documentation,
- Information sheets, and
- Reform Journal
The ALRC is committed to improving public access to its work and all past reports and recent consultation papers are available for free viewing and download via this website.
Some publications are available in book format for purchase.
23.07.2010
ALRC submission to the inquiry into exposure drafts of Australian privacy amendment legislation
Ms Christine McDonaldSecretary, Legislation CommitteeSenate Standing Committee on Finance and Public Administration 23 July 2010 Dear Ms McDonald Inquiry into exposure drafts of Australian privacy amendment legislation The Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) welcomes the release of the Australian Privacy Principles Exposure Draft and Companion Guide as a major plank in the implementation of the …
Read more14.07.2010
ALRC submission to the inquiry into the past and present practices of donor conception in Australia
Ms Julie DennettCommittee SecretarySenate Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs 14 July 2010 Dear Ms Dennett, Inquiry into the past and present practices of donor conception in Australia The Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the Senate Standing Committee’s inquiry into donor conception practices in Australia, referring to prior …
Read more02.07.2010
Family Violence – Improving Legal Frameworks (CP 1)
Family Violence—Improving Legal Frameworks (CP 1) was released on 29 April 2010.The Consultation Paper is arranged in five Parts: an introductory section, followed by parts dividing up the subject areas of the Terms of Reference as providing the lens through which the interaction issues are considered.A shorter Summary of the this paper (ALRC CPS 1) …
Read more25.06.2010
Secrecy Laws and Open Government -Terms of Reference
I, ROBERT McCLELLAND, Attorney-General of Australia, having regard to: the desirability of having comprehensive, consistent and workable laws and practices in relation to the protection of Commonwealth information; the increased need to share such information within and between governments and with the private sector; the importance of balancing the need to protect Commonwealth information and …
Read more21.06.2010
Family Violence—Improving Legal Frameworks (ALRC CPS 1)
This document is a summary of the much larger Consultation Paper (ALRC CP1) and is intended to enable more immediate access to the questions and proposals contained in the Consultation Paper. The two documents were released simultaneously, on 29 April 2010.
Read more15.06.2010
Introduction
2.1 In this Inquiry the ALRC has been asked to have regard to the importance of balancing the public interest in an open and accountable system of government with the need to protect Commonwealth information. The challenge then is to identify the proper place for secrecy provisions in the context of open government.2.2 The concept …
Read more15.06.2010
From secrecy to open government
Secrecy and government2.4 The secrecy of government information has a long history. As Professor Enid Campbell has explained, the notion that the activities of government should be secret goes back to a period when monarchs were motivated by a desire to protect themselves against their rivals and official information was considered the property of the …
Read more15.06.2010
Current trends in open government
FOI reforms2.21 At the time of writing, the FOI Act is the subject of a proposed reform package based on a commitment by the Australian Government to ‘undertake the most significant overhaul of the FOI Act since its inception in 1982’.[30] The package includes the Freedom of Information (Removal of Conclusive Certificates and Other Measures) …
Read more15.06.2010
Freedom of expression
2.37 While open government is central to this Inquiry, another key principle of relevance is freedom of expression. This section of the chapter considers the international and domestic laws that protect this freedom, including the ICCPR and rights enacted in domestic law. It goes on to discuss the relationship between secrecy provisions and freedom of …
Read more15.06.2010
Balancing secrecy, freedom of expression and open government
2.80 The challenge for the ALRC in this Inquiry is to strike the right balance between the public interest in open and accountable government and the public interest in maintaining the confidentiality of some government information. The goal, then, is to identify the proper place, if any, for secrecy provisions in the context of a …
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