Page 1655 - Week 06 - Tuesday, 7 May 2013
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Open government refers to a way of working and rests on three important principles: transparency in process and information, participation by the community in the governing process and public collaboration in finding solutions to problems. It is not just about putting information out there, although that is certainly the aspect that Mr Seselja focused on in his speech. Following some of the early commitments I gave on open government, we have reviewed our consultation policies and we have put in place measures to make sure that the community has its say on major projects. City to the lake is an example of that.
We have set up stalls, held community cabinets and encouraged feedback through the online talkback website time to talk. We have also hosted four Twitter cabinets, which I see that Mr Seselja pokes fun at. But they have provided an avenue for the community to get involved and to use social media as a way of communicating with their elected representatives. I have no doubt that in time other members in this place will start using that platform in a coordinated way to deliver their message and, indeed, to engage with their local constituents.
The revolution in digital technology has transformed the information landscape. The demands on government to be open and accountable as well as dynamic and responsive have never been greater. I think the ACT is leading the way in this new area of participatory democracy, but there is certainly more to do. We have created major new information portals to give the community the greatest possible access to information.
We have launched the open government website as a single gateway for access to government information. We have made FOI materials available online for the first time. The site is continuously added to and currently contains 184 datasets along with cabinet summaries, appointments, policies and reports. In 2012 we also launched the Data ACT portal which Mr Seselja did not refer to, but which provides raw government data direct to the developer and researcher communities. Data ACT currently holds 79 datasets and work is underway to increase this number, particularly in the lead-up to GovHack 2013, which will bring 400 developers to Canberra next month to create innovative apps with government data.
We have also been the first government to publicly release the outcomes of cabinet deliberations. Cabinet decisions and supporting documents approved for public release are now provided online, giving people new insight into the cabinet room and the way decisions are made. This happened in addition to the government’s decision in 2010 to halve the release period for executive governments from 20 to 10 years. Each year on Canberra Day a new set of material is made publicly available.
In public interest disclosure, the government has delivered what experts describe as the best whistleblowing laws in Australia and some of the best in the world. The Public Interest Disclosure Act 2012 repealed its 1994 predecessor and replaced it with a scheme based on best practice across other jurisdictions and the whistling while they work project. The new laws broaden the range of issues that can be subject to disclosure, create information requirements for disclosures to the public, and create an oversight role for the Commissioner for Public Administration to ensure that disclosures are dealt with consistently and appropriately.
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