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The Latest Breaking News from Leo Hardiman

Frank and far-reaching: Senate report recommends shake-up of the way freedom of information is handled

The most significant recommendation in the Senate inquiry report on the functionality of the Commonwealth FOI system is this: move the federal Freedom of Information (FOI) function from the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner’s Office (OAIC) to the Commonwealth Ombudsman’s Office.

The Conversation

Australia’s information commissioner denies leadership ‘gaslighted’ former FoI chief

Angelene Falk responds to Leo Hardiman’s extraordinary accusations to a Senate inquiry which he claimed led to his resignation

The Guardian - AU

Former senator renews legal fight over FoI delays

Transparency advocate Rex Patrick will renew a fight to cut delays in freedom of information requests, which he claims are intentionally slowed by underfunding.

AAP

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Rex Patrick in renewed legal fight over Australia’s ‘broken’ freedom of information system

Former senator appeals federal court ruling that information watchdog’s lengthy delays were not unreasonable as it was bound by funding

The Guardian - AU

Qantas has tickets on itself

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is going after Qantas for allegedly selling tickets on thousands of flights it had already cancelled, and the Greens and Labor are now fighting a ‘super war’ over paid parental leave.

Crikey

Grattan on Friday: It can be a battle to get information from the Albanese government

Thank goodness for Senate committees. This week, they’ve proved, yet again, to be worth their weight in accountability gold.

The Conversation

Former information commissioner claims in Senate inquiry he was ‘manhandled’ and ‘gaslighted’ by leadership

Leo Hardiman has spoken at length to a Senate inquiry about how his complaints about a massive freedom of information backlog were ignored by OAIC leadershipFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast

The Guardian - AU

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‘Attempts to manhandle me’: ex-FOI head’s fraught relationship with info counterpart

Leo Hardiman KC was a hotly anticipated witness appearing before the Senate inquiry into Australia’s broken FOI system.

Crikey

'Cycles of panic': Former FOI boss blames poor agency culture on Information Commissioner

Leo Hardiman details 'feeling of complete overwhelm' at OAIC.

The Canberra Times

Trump trumped on his date in court

Donald Trump will face a federal criminal trial in Washington DC on March 4 2024, years earlier than he’d wanted, and Australia’s whistleblower protection laws ‘have not successfully protected a single person since their inception’.

Crikey

Media companies call for independent FOI commissioner to ‘champion’ accountability

Australian media organisations say they aren’t aware of any attempts by Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus to bring about reform.

Crikey

In the mild world of Australian regulators, no one goes to jail

When in doubt, Australian regulators prefer a quiet word or a stern warning with regards to corruption, leaving the industry toothless.

Crikey

Proposed changes to Freedom of Information Act blacked out in documents released to journalists

A former top official suggested changing the law around freedom of information — but his proposal is being kept secret.

Crikey

‘Australia is an outlier’: sluggish FOI system sets secrecy as the default

‘I don’t know of any other liberal democracy that places such limitations on the press.’

Crikey

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Crikey

‘The system is broken’: a landmark legal battle sets the stage for FOI reform

A Federal Court case on Australia’s FOI system gets to the heart of the delays suffered by journalists, politicians and everyday citizens.

Crikey

Freedom of information system hampered by lack of cash and staff

Information and privacy commissioner Angelene Falk recently told Senate estimates that more funding for FOI processing had been requested.

The Guardian - AU

FOI commissioner complained of being ignored and ‘limited’ staff before resigning, tense emails reveal

Exclusive: Correspondence shows Leo Hardiman expressed frustrations to agency head Angelene Falk

The Guardian - AU

Labor to appoint dedicated privacy commissioner to combat data breaches

The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner will also be restored to a three-commissioner structure after defunding by Coalition

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Crikey

Indigenous elder removed from Obama event

A Wurundjeri elder has been stopped from performing a Welcome to Country at Barack Obama’s Australia tour, and Sweden has summoned the Russian ambassador after he threatened that the country and its neighbour Finland would become “legitimate targets” if they joined NATO.

Crikey

That sinking subs feeling

Australian unions are dead-set against a nuclear defence policy, and the US has just recorded its 89th school shooting this year, this one in Nashville in which three children and three adults were killed.

The Guardian - AU

Greens, Coalition and entire crossbench unite to force inquiry into ‘broken’ FOI system

Senate to investigate after resignation of commissioner Leo Hardiman, who cited his lack of powers to make changes to fix delays

The Canberra Times

Freedom of Information Commissioner resigns

Mr Hardiman said required changes to the system were 'not within the powers conferred on me'.

Crikey

Onward Christian soldiers

A right-wing Christian conference has heard a call for Christians to ‘save the Liberal Party’ by ensuring conservative religious candidates ‘prevail’ in every branch, and Zachary Rolfe, who shot dead an Indigenous teenager, will be stood down from the NT Police Force. (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are warned…

Crikey

Appointment of FOI commissioner was a Coalition captain’s call

The Coalition government bypassed its own selection panel’s recommendation to hand-pick an FOI commissioner who hadn’t applied for the role.

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