The Coalition’s long war on transparency continues in the government’s childish games with an allegedly sensitive confidential volume of the trade union royal commission report.
The government has had three separate positions on the volume: first it was to remain confidential on the basis that royal commissioner (and would-be Liberal Party speech maker) Dyson Heydon claimed (without providing any evidence) that releasing it might place royal commission witnesses in danger. When crossbench senators whose votes are necessary for the government to pass its anti-CFMEU bill re-establishing the Australian Building and Construction Commission demanded access, the government changed its mind and offered access to a redacted version of the report. Yesterday it changed its position again and offered access to a single representative of the Greens and Labor as well — an offer that has correctly been declined on the basis of arrant silliness.
Since its election in 2013, the Coalition has consistently tried to curb transparency. Entire areas of government operations have been ruled beyond the scope of parliamentary scrutiny. Ministers have misled Parliament with impunity. The public service has been encouraged to treat freedom of information laws with contempt. Whistleblowers have been pursued and journalists threatened with jail.
It was to be hoped that Malcolm Turnbull, a man who made his legal reputation on one of the signal moments of transparency in Australian law, the Spycatcher case, would bring a change from the Abbott government’s deep-seated loathing of transparency. So far, the signs are that we’re in for more of the same.
All this so that Abbott’s Limited News Party could wind up “Iceberg” Heydon to let him go forth to prepare the ground to re-establish Abbott’s ABCC “legacy” (that Labor uprooted) – while forgetting about employer rorts?
Those who thought Spitbull would different would be examples of the victory of optimism over experience? He’s got his back to protect.
Quite right, Klewie!
I don’t mind Senator Dio Wang’s proposed amendment to the ABCC legislation…he wants a federal ICAC so that everyone can be investigated for corruption and other illegal activities…NOT just the unions.
Sounds good to me!! I suppose we can dream……
I won’t bore your readers with the history of my recent travails in trying to access material via FOI that should rightfully be in the public domain. But I will make this point. The lack of transparency extends to Australia’s involvement in various wars. Not only does the government refuse to release documents upon which it purportedly relies, it also refuses to allow an debate in parliament. It doesn’t get much more non-transparent than that.
Transparency? Thou jestest, it’s more betterly named Freedom from Information.
Malcolm Turnbull might have had his progressive moments in the past, and he is certainly far more presentable on TV than his appalling predecessor, but the longer he carries on as un-elected PM the more he is becoming what I have called him here before: John Howard with a pretty face.