Free Speech "Whittled Away"

[Matilda]

"More than 500 separate legal provisions in 335 different state and federal acts of Parliament are denying Australians access to a vast amount of information they should be able to see, a major new report says."

(snip)

"Former NSW Ombudsman Irene Moss led the team that wrote the report. When she began work, she wondered whether media complaints about secrecy and unworkable Freedom of Information laws might be "a bit of a beat-up".

She soon changed her mind and concluded "the audit's research and observations should ring alarm bells for those who value free speech"."

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/free-speech-report-shock/2007/11/05/1194117935904.html


I often read Matthew Moore's column, which details his efforts to obtain - often unsuccessfully -
information that should be available to all. It can't all be laid at the door of the Federal
Coalition either; NSW seems to be one of the worst states when it comes to openness of government -
Labor's totally corrupt, and the Libs totally incompetent.

Unfortunately, it's not an issue which seems to concern many people, and this report will probably
just die and be buried without fuss.