The Australian Information Commissioner, Angelene Falk (pictured) joined Information Access Commissioners and Ombudsmen from across Australia and New Zealand to sign a public statement marking Monday of this week as International Access to Information Day (28 September).
The joint statement says the International Day was an opportunity to recognise the vital role that access to information plays in building community trust through transparency, in times of crisis and beyond.
“On this day, we join with members of the United Nations, international regulators and others to acknowledge the importance of access to information laws and the community’s right to know,” the Commissioners and Ombudsmen said.
“The importance of public access to information as Governments respond to the COVID-19 pandemic cannot be overstated,” they said.
“The pro-active release of Government-held information underpins our response to COVID-19, bush fires and other emergencies.”
“It also instils confidence in decisions that promote our economic recovery from the current pandemic by preserving transparency and accountability in Government expenditure and ensuring that the public understands decisions that affect them.”
The Commissioners and Ombudsmen said the right to information was enshrined in access to information laws across Australia and New Zealand.
“We are among more than 120 nations around the world to guarantee citizens these rights — a significant expansion since 2009 when UNESCO recorded only 40 countries with these laws,” they said.
“As countries around the world manage the impacts of COVID-19 and other crises facing communities, access to information becomes even more essential.”
They said open, transparent and accountable Governments that proactively release information to the community remained fundamental to a democratic society.
The statement was signed by the Australian Information Commissioner, Angelene Falk; NSW’s Information Commissioner, Elizabeth Tydd; Queensland’s Information Commissioner, Rachael Rangihaeata; South Australian Ombudsman, Wayne Lines; Victorian Information Commissioner, Sven Bluemmel; Western Australian Information Commissioner, Catherine Fletcher; Tasmanian Ombudsman, Richard Connock; ACT Ombudsman, Michael Manthorpe; Northern Territory’s Information Commissioner, Peter Shoyer; and New Zealand’s Chief Ombudsman, Peter Boshier.
The full context of the statement can be accessed on the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner’s website at this PS News link.
