Page 1757 - Week 05 - Thursday, 2 April 2009
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(3) Insert the following words at the beginning of existing paragraph (1): “The Committee shall examine”.
(4) Renumber existing paragraph “(2)” as paragraph “(3)”.
(5) Insert the following words at the beginning of existing paragraph (2): “The committee shall examine”.
(6) In existing paragraph (2), omit the words “regarding the”, substitute: “having regard to the”.
(7) Omit existing subparagraph (2)(e), substitute:
“(e) timeliness and costs of the provision of freedom of information in the ACT having regard to the need to achieve a balance between facilitating legitimate and timely access to government documents and ensuring proper and efficient government administration, in particular having regard to:
(i) the appropriateness of the existing fees regime;
(ii) the appropriateness and efficacy of current time limit provisions contained in the Act; and
(iii) dealing with voluminous and/or vexatious requests.”.
(8) Renumber existing paragraph “(3)” as paragraph “(4)”.
(9) In existing paragraph (3), omit the words “Ways to improve and modernise freedom of information, including”, substitute: “In identifying ways to improve and modernise the ACT’s Freedom of Information Act, the Committee shall consider:”.
(10) In existing paragraph (3), add :
“(f) balancing the public interest in access to information with the requirement for confidentiality for deliberative processes for Ministers;
(g) balancing the public interest in access to information with any requirement for confidentiality for other decision makers; and
(h) law and practice in other jurisdictions where government held information including cabinet documents are more readily available”.
(11) Renumber existing paragraph “(4) as “(5)”.
The government will be supporting the proposed referral to the committee, with the amendments I have moved. These amendments seek to give greater completeness to the context in which this inquiry should occur.
The terms of reference proposed by Mrs Dunne in her original motion are essentially drawn from the terms of reference of the inquiry established by the Queensland government and commonly known as the Solomon review. The Solomon review
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