Calls for an overhaul of New Zealand’s freedom-of-information rules have gone largely unheeded for years. But momentum for reform seems to be building.
Articles on Freedom of information
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Three provinces have passed laws that make it easier for governments to withhold, delay or dismiss requests for public records — and Ottawa may be next.
A lack of transparency at both the federal and state level is making it increasingly difficult for journalists and citizens to hold government to account.
The US government has to balance the need to know with the right to privacy. It’s a delicate balancing act.
The new research maps where $7 billion of contracts went over eight years. It shows Indigenous businesses in Canberra won a surprisingly large slice of the funds.
A little under a year ago, Michelle Rowland, who was then communications minister, had to make a humiliating retreat, she now might just have to make another
The Albanese government’s proposed FOI reforms attempt to update decades-old laws. Some of it is needed, but other parts severely threaten government transparency.
As freedom of information disclosures decrease and less documents are available for public scrutiny, we need better ways to hold politicians to account.
Public records requested under the Freedom of Information Act have helped shape health policy and keep the government accountable – but recent staff cuts may make this impossible.
AI chat logs are the latest digital frontier for FOI – but the battle for real transparency is far from won.
After years of anecdotes, data provides a fuller picture of government agencies hiding their work from the public they ostensibly serve.
Automation has wreaked havoc with government processes here and overseas, and freedom of information laws have been key to exposing it. But with the rise of AI, our laws need modernising.
A Senate report has found FOI does not function as intended in Australia, and recommends significant changes.
The US has an overclassification problem, which includes classifying documents about Santa Claus.
Police body cameras have the potential to make private details about people’s lives, including some of the most stressful experiences of their lives, public and easily accessible online
During the coronavirus pandemic, digitizing archives can help increase access. But in addition to the labour and financial costs, issues of privacy, copyright and resources need to be considered.
The news Foxtel received a speedy funding boost as the ABC faces another round of damaging cost cuts will raise eyebrows. And questions about how we spend taxpayers’ money.
Blocking citizen requests for information on a fund set up for COVID-19 relief undermines public trust in the government’s response to the pandemic.
One more casualty of the coronavirus pandemic: open government. Since the crisis began, local, state and federal officials throughout the United States have locked down information from the public.
In 1999, ahead of World Trade Organisation protests, a group of Australian activists created the first open internet publishing platform. This technology is the basis of the internet we know today.
Top contributors
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Associate Professor, School of Media, Film and Journalism, Monash University
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Director of the Brechner Freedom of Information Project, College of Journalism and Communications, University of Florida
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Director of History & Policy at the Institute of Historical Research and Professor of British and Commonwealth History, School of Advanced Study, University of London
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Lecturer in Politics, Birkbeck, University of London
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Associate Professor of Journalism, University of Galway
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Associate Professor, School of Law, University of Canberra
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PhD Candidate in Social Anthropology, SOAS, University of London
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Associate Professor of Law, Member of Deakin Cyber and the Centre for Law as Protection, Deakin University, Deakin University
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Professor of Law, Monash University
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Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Technology Sydney
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Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, Monash University
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Professor of Criminal Justice, University of Winnipeg
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Doctor of Law Candidate, University of Manitoba
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Assistant Professor of Media Law and Policy, University of Oregon
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Associate Professor of History (Archival Studies), University of Manitoba