Page 2424 - Week 06 - Thursday, 23 June 2011
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the governing process and public collaboration in finding solutions to problems and participation in the improved wellbeing of the community. Open government refers to a way of working. It is a way of managing information and of participation and collaboration that enhances democracy, as it places the community at the centre of governance.
As I explained on Tuesday, our own government here in the ACT has developed a strong foundation upon which to further develop open government. For example, the parliamentary agreement with the Greens includes a number of reforms of the parliamentary system which contribute to making government more open, more accountable and transparent.
As a result of the Allan Hawke review we have created an ACT government information office to coordinate and focus our efforts in open government and strengthen government accessibility and transparency. The recently updated performance and accountability framework also identifies measures and opportunities to strengthen and build on existing practice, improving the transparency and openness of government operations. Each of the documents I have mentioned here, I am pleased to say, is publicly available and is posted online.
As a government we are taking a broad approach to enhance the openness of the way we govern, encompassing transparency, participation and collaboration. We already boast the most open legislative framework for access to cabinet documents of any state or territory in the country, where the Territory Records Act makes cabinet papers available to the public after just 10 years, unlike the standard 20 years in the commonwealth. We also have a proactive approach to communicating government information through initiatives such as the ACT government notice board and community cabinet meetings.
As Chief Minister, I believe that, as a first principle, information available to the government should be made available for use by the community. In order to support this principle, an open government website will be created which will provide a single gateway for access to government information and provide greater opportunity for public involvement in the governance of the ACT. I have asked that this website be operational in the next three months. This website will provide public access to a range of government information, including government material released through freedom of information applications.
Members will understand that there will of course need to be guidelines to manage the release of information to ensure that personal information and copyright information are not released and accordingly an FOI web release policy will be finalised as the website is being developed. I am happy to consult with members in both the development of this policy and any subsequent reviews that occur.
The government responded to 579 requests for freedom of information in the 2009-10 financial year and I anticipate that a large majority of the documents provided would have been suitable for public release. The open government website will be a central point for accessing a range of further information also, such as background reports and government reviews.
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