Post by Banker on May 7, 2012 8:15:32 GMT 7
The Federal Labor Government’s freedom of information reforms have stalled with departments spending thirteen times more money on high performance shredding machines than they are training public servants to handle requests for information from the public.
A review of published government contracts by The Age has revealed that government agencies spent close to $10 million on new shredding machines over the past three years.
By comparison, annual freedom of information reports show that the government spent only $764,000 in the same period training public servants to process freedom of information applications from the public. The understaffed FOI watchdog, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, is facing budget cuts.
There is also a growing backlog of FOI decision reviews, a state of affairs that is being exploited by agencies seeking to delay the release of sensitive information.
Government agencies are required to use shredders that have been endorsed by the Security Construction and Equipment Committee, an interdepartmental group that includes ASIO security experts. Although the Defence Department and Australian intelligence agencies are the major purchasers, the demand for new shredders has sharply increased across government as agencies handle rapidly growing volumes of classified information.
Although the precise number of shredders purchased by the Federal Government is unclear, published contract information and other inquiries suggest that it is between 600 and 700 over the past three years.
Individual shredders, approved for destruction of security classified material, can cost more than $10,000, while some high-capacity units can cost more than $30,000.
In contrast to the booming government shredder market, Australian Information Commissioner John McMillan has warned that a refusal to adequately fund oversight of freedom of information legislation is undermining the government's declared commitment to increased transparency and more open government.
Professor McMillan wrote to the Department of Finance and Deregulation earlier this year to complain that his small office, currently at only three-quarters of its planned staffing, had to process a rapidly growing number FOI reviews and complaints.
''If we are forced to further reduce OAIC staff numbers, I hold a genuine concern that we will not be able to discharge our functions effectively,'' Professor McMillan wrote to finance secretary David Tune on February 2.
''I believe that it will be embarrassing both to the reputation of the office and the success of the new open government measures if we are unable through staffing pressures to reduce the backlog.''
The OAIC expects to receive as many as 700 FOI review applications in 2011-12. In February, the office had a backlog of more than 340 applications and this is expected to continue to grow. Applicants for FOI reviews can expect a six-week wait before any response and a delay of six months or longer before a matter is progressed.
Departmental FOI officers have candidly acknowledged that the OAIC's growing backlog allows "sensitive" FOI requests to be ''put on the back burner''.
The Finance Department has ruled out any exemption for the OAIC from further budget cuts, and other agencies have been arguing for increasing FOI processing charges to provide for greater cost recovery.
Last week, Professor McMillan recommended doubling some freedom of information processing charges and applying new fees to requests.
Correction: An error was introduced into this article on freedom of information requests. The federal government spent $764,000 on training public servants to handle freedom of information requests, not on processing the requests.
Read more: www.theage.com.au/opinion/political-news/reform-on-foi-bogs-down-20120408-1wjof.html#ixzz1u8saWoc4
A review of published government contracts by The Age has revealed that government agencies spent close to $10 million on new shredding machines over the past three years.
By comparison, annual freedom of information reports show that the government spent only $764,000 in the same period training public servants to process freedom of information applications from the public. The understaffed FOI watchdog, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, is facing budget cuts.
There is also a growing backlog of FOI decision reviews, a state of affairs that is being exploited by agencies seeking to delay the release of sensitive information.
Government agencies are required to use shredders that have been endorsed by the Security Construction and Equipment Committee, an interdepartmental group that includes ASIO security experts. Although the Defence Department and Australian intelligence agencies are the major purchasers, the demand for new shredders has sharply increased across government as agencies handle rapidly growing volumes of classified information.
Although the precise number of shredders purchased by the Federal Government is unclear, published contract information and other inquiries suggest that it is between 600 and 700 over the past three years.
Individual shredders, approved for destruction of security classified material, can cost more than $10,000, while some high-capacity units can cost more than $30,000.
In contrast to the booming government shredder market, Australian Information Commissioner John McMillan has warned that a refusal to adequately fund oversight of freedom of information legislation is undermining the government's declared commitment to increased transparency and more open government.
Professor McMillan wrote to the Department of Finance and Deregulation earlier this year to complain that his small office, currently at only three-quarters of its planned staffing, had to process a rapidly growing number FOI reviews and complaints.
''If we are forced to further reduce OAIC staff numbers, I hold a genuine concern that we will not be able to discharge our functions effectively,'' Professor McMillan wrote to finance secretary David Tune on February 2.
''I believe that it will be embarrassing both to the reputation of the office and the success of the new open government measures if we are unable through staffing pressures to reduce the backlog.''
The OAIC expects to receive as many as 700 FOI review applications in 2011-12. In February, the office had a backlog of more than 340 applications and this is expected to continue to grow. Applicants for FOI reviews can expect a six-week wait before any response and a delay of six months or longer before a matter is progressed.
Departmental FOI officers have candidly acknowledged that the OAIC's growing backlog allows "sensitive" FOI requests to be ''put on the back burner''.
The Finance Department has ruled out any exemption for the OAIC from further budget cuts, and other agencies have been arguing for increasing FOI processing charges to provide for greater cost recovery.
Last week, Professor McMillan recommended doubling some freedom of information processing charges and applying new fees to requests.
Correction: An error was introduced into this article on freedom of information requests. The federal government spent $764,000 on training public servants to handle freedom of information requests, not on processing the requests.
Read more: www.theage.com.au/opinion/political-news/reform-on-foi-bogs-down-20120408-1wjof.html#ixzz1u8saWoc4