Continuing increased pressure on the federal government to increase integrity, transparency and accountability. They want to fix the Freedom of Information (FOI) system in order to do so. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said that the current FOI framework is “not working for anyone.” He has announced plans to negotiate with the Liberal Party to win their support. This important legislation is a first step towards changing the culture of access to information from government.
The proposed bill represents what the Centre for Public Integrity (CPI) describes as “a radical shift in Australia’s FOI culture.” Albanese’s government sees this legislation as a key step towards improving transparency in the operations of government. The CPI has been instrumental in the ongoing debate on the FOI reforms. It rightly calls attention to the fact that the bill takes critical steps towards ensuring public access to government activity data.
Independent Member of Parliament Zali Steggall has been very vocal in her support for the proposed changes. She argues that reforming the FOI system is necessary for restoring public trust in government actions. Steggall doesn’t stand alone in her support. Fellow crossbencher Helen Haines has promised her support for the bill, illustrating that non-major party lawmakers are growing more united on the need for reform.
Allegra Spender, the third of the newly-elected cross-bench Independent MPs, reiterated this sentiment in her maiden speech, highlighting public service.
“The public service is first and foremost there to serve the public.” – Allegra Spender
Along with expressing support, Spender had a lot of last-minute warnings about pitfalls in the proposed amendments.
“But this amendment bill is designed to exclude the public by putting up new barriers to transparency and public scrutiny at a time when we need to hold the government and public service to account.” – Allegra Spender
The Labor Party will undoubtably face serious hurdles to getting this bill passed. To pass the Senate, Labor will need to get the cooperation of the Coalition or the Greens. As Shadow Attorney-General, Julian Leeser has so far not said if he will support the new Bill. On the other side of politics, David Shoebridge, Greens spokesman on attorney-general matters, has made no secret of his strong opposition to the bill.
The fight for this legislation might stretch as far as 2026, a testament to just how hard FOI reform faces in Australia. We believe that introduction of the bill into the House of Representatives is major milestone moment — and that it is. It remains uncertain if it will attract the necessary bipartisan support.
Now more than ever, the legislative environment is one weary of government’s promise to be transparent. According to one influential insider, “the prime minister has just never been a fan of FOI. This statement begs the question of how genuine the call for reform really is.
One public servant pointed out that while “the current bill was developed by the department, there’s been a track record of reviews and recommendations” suggesting that previous attempts at reform have not yielded substantial changes. This background contributes to larger fears from stakeholders who push for increased accountability.
As discussions progress, it is clear that various factions within Parliament hold divergent views on how best to balance effective governance with public access to information. The CPI has highlighted this tension, arguing that there has been a shift “from a focus on the Australian community’s access to information, promoting democracy through public participation and increased scrutiny, to a newly introduced ‘balance’ between this and ‘effective government.’”
