Public service leader to resign..


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Records on private devices could be subject to FOI-but are they kept?

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Yes, a WhatsApp message could be subject to FOI – but you'd have to find it first Moira Paterson , Monash University   Secure messaging services like WhatsApp often feature in the news in the context of their potential use by terrorists . But paradoxically they are now used increasingly by Commonwealth government ministers and other senior officials . This raises important issues in terms of record-keeping, and whether messages on these services are accessible via Freedom of Information ( FOI ). Read more: Banning MPs from private messaging apps is a simplistic response to a complex problem What is FOI and what documents does it apply to? FOI laws are designed to make governments more open and accountable by providing access to documents that shed light on their activities. The Commonwealth FOI Act applies to the individuals and bodies that make up the Commonwealth government sector, although it excludes some specific bodies and documents . The Act provide...
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Australia going backwards on protection of privacy and information access

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At a time when threats to privacy abound including from a federal government that lays claim to a watchdog role to safeguard our right to privacy, a government whose leader before the 2013 election committed to increasing government transparency and accountablity, Australia today has no permanent federal information commissioner , no federal privacy commissioner, and no federal freedom of information commissioner.  The Office of Australian Information Commissioner established in 2010 to enable the commissioners to carry out their functions with an initial estimate of staff required of 100, now has around 65. Attorney General Brandis is presiding over the erosion of protections put in place to safeguard the right to privacy and promote and oversight the exercise of the right to access  government information.    Australian Information Commissioner Professor John McMillan resigned today to become NSW Ombudsman. (Open and Shut joins the OAIC in expressing thanks fo...
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Open, transparent government: Australia struggling to join the dots

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