Monday 28 October 2024
Member for Mildura, Jade Benham serves on the Integrity and Oversight Committee (IOC), playing a critical role in advancing transparency and accountability in Victorian governance. Her latest report, tabled by the committee out of session in September, underscores her dedication to ensuring a fair and accessible Freedom of Information (FOI) system in the state.
The committee received 69 submissions and held six days of hearings, collecting valuable insights from agencies and local governments. The overwhelming response confirmed a consistent issue with FOI request processing, often delayed by lengthy redactions or restricted by outdated regulations.
“Victoria’s FOI process is outdated and, frankly, broken. Modernizing it with a third-generation ‘push model’ and transforming it into a Right of Information Act will empower citizens, reduce application costs, and ease processing delays,” Ms. Benham said.
“Other states, like Queensland and New South Wales, have already moved to third-generation FOI models that are far more responsive to current public information needs.”
Key recommendations from the report include:
- Complete Overhaul of the FOI Act: Shift to a push model, as implemented in other states, making information more readily available to the public and reducing FOI requests that clog the system.
- Removal of Application Fees: Eliminate fees when requesting personal information, a change expected to lower barriers for individuals seeking their own records.
- Improvement of Public Records Management: Prioritise digitisation and better preservation of public records to ease information retrieval and support transparency.
- Revisiting FOI in Local Governments: Address cultural and operational challenges in FOI practices within local councils, a concern raised during the committee’s hearings.
As a former local government official, Ms Benham remarked on the disconnect some councils experience regarding FOI, emphasising that transparent access to information at all levels of government is essential.
“This report is a step toward a modern, responsive FOI system in Victoria. I am committed to seeing these recommendations through to create a system that genuinely serves the public’s right to information.”
