Suzanne Waddell and Dianne Waddell Melbourne,
Australia
The Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Vic) is clear in its
objective: to provide for the legal right of public access to
government-held information, with a default position being to provide
information unless there is good reason to withhold it. In democratic
nations, freedom of information (FOI) laws provide the tool by which
governments can become more open, in turn enabling them to be more
accountable to their citizens. Public sector employees charged with
administering FOI laws are subject to formal and informal rules,
codes, policies and procedures - some of which directly contradict the
objectives of FOI. They also bring to their jobs their own values,
beliefs and moral codes - yet enforced anonymity renders them silent
on issues directly affecting them.
Victoria has had FOI laws in place
for over twenty years, yet a deeply embedded culture of secrecy within
some parts of the Victorian Public Service (VPS) is still apparent.
This book examines the challenges faced by public sector employees in
managing information access within a complex culture. The book
concludes by arguing that more research is necessary within the VPS to
gauge public sector employee perceptions of FOI and open government.
For the Victorian Government to encourage such research is, in itself,
a demonstrable commitment to openness and would add considerable
weight to its claim that it is actively changing the VPS culture from
a position of secrecy to one of transparency.
Contents
1. Freedom of Information and the Role of Government
2. Public Sector Culture and FOI
3. Strategies of Inquiry 4. The Difficulty with Access
5. The 'Culture of Secrecy'
6. Freedom of Information: Accountability of Obfuscation?
National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication data:
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Waddell, Suzanne Published December 2009 Freedom of Information:
Accountability or Obfuscation? / Suzanne Waddell, Dianne Waddell
Bibliography
ISBN 978-1-920889-36-4 (paperback)
ISBN 978-1-920889-37-1 (hard cover)
Victoria. Freedom of Information Act 1982. Freedom of information -
Victoria Other Authors/Contributors: Waddell, Dianne
342.9450853
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