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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 3 Hansard (7 March) . . Page.. 567 ..
MR STANHOPE (continuing):
confidentiality". The commission went on to say that a "key aspect of accountability" is "the transparency of both decision-making by public administrators and the performance of the service provider".
The importance of public access to information was highlighted in a discussion paper released in May 1995 by the Australian Law Reform Commission. I will read this and conclude on this point about the concerns that the Opposition has been expressing on the Government's handling of a whole range of papers in relation to Bruce Stadium. The Australian Law Reform Commission, as quoted by the scrutiny of Bills committee, had this to say:
Access to government information is a prerequisite to the proper functioning of a democratic society. Without information, people cannot exercise their rights and responsibilities or make informed choices. Information is necessary for government accountability. Limited information can distort the accountability process: governments are questioned about the wrong issues and programs are incorrectly evaluated. Without information people cannot make an informed choice at the ballot box and members of Parliament cannot supervise the Executive.
I think that is a wonderful summary of the issues in relation to this Government's refusal to respond to an order of this parliament, this Assembly, this legislature, to table documents demanded of it by the legislature.
It is timely that both Mr Moore and I have introduced legislation. I think it goes to the heart of some of this Government's major failings over this last year that it has not complied with its obligations. It has not treated this legislature with the courtesy and respect that it deserves. It has not tabled documents demanded of it in an order. It has fought consistently and persistently to prevent the disclosure of information that the parliament and the people of Canberra have an overwhelming right to see, to review and to assess.
I think this is an excellent report and I think this is an issue which the Assembly, quite obviously, will be dealing with in greater depth at some time in the future.
MR MOORE (Minister for Health and Community Care): Mr Speaker, I seek leave to make a comment on this report.
Leave granted.
MR MOORE: I have had time now to scan through the report, and I will read it much more carefully with the intention of learning from it. I have to say that my reaction is substantially different from that of Mr Stanhope. Firstly, I think the most important thing here is that the committee has stated:
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