The Greens welcome the release of the review into Tasmania’s right to information system by Professors Rick Snell and Tim McCormack.
While the experts found our legislative framework requires some change, the major problem is a culture of secrecy in government.
The Greens asked the Premier to commit to leading the desperately needed change in the culture of secrecy within the government in Question Time this morning. It was deeply disappointing to hear him talk around the matter.
The Premier’s typical obfuscation in Question Time is a direct reflection of the government’s culture. He’s the third Liberal Premier who has been tasked with fixing up transparency laws.
A key recommendation is to change the culture of this government from secrecy to routine active disclosures, including of Cabinet documents. These are changes that would be easy to make, and make a big difference.
Currently, information which should be released to the public is kept behind closed doors, and RTI officers are being pressured by senior officials keep inconvenient truths secret. This is what the report outlined.
A lack of transparency is toxic to democracy. Dodginess flourishes in the dark.
Change must start with Premier Rockliff.
While his answer this morning was uninspiring, we expect the Premier will accept all of the review’s recommendations.
