Media Release: Challenge to Change Right-to-Information Culture

Challenge to Change Right-to-Information Culture

26 June 2024

Independent Member for Nelson Meg Webb today called for an overhaul of the state’s Right to Information (RTI) culture to bring it back in alignment with the spirit and intent of the laws.

“Throwing money at our congested RTI system will not fix the problem on its own,” Ms Webb said.

“We also need a comprehensive cultural change that sets the proactive release of information as the default position.

“When our current RTI laws were introduced back in 2009 they were trumpeted as introducing a push model rather than the previous pull model.

“However, that memo now appears to have been lost, possibly within the piles of withheld and redacted documents now clogging up the system.

Ms Webb said the default position should be that as much Government information as possible is public, unless there are commercial-in-confidence or personal information considerations.

“Much of the recent money the Government has thrown at fixing the RTI has focused on addressing the backlog of current applications and appeals. 

“While a good first step, we would get much more value for that money if it was also driving an overdue cultural change that saw information pushed out reducing time delays and potential appeals.

“A proactive push model which saw refusals and redactions as the exception rather than the norm, would also assist in reducing the workload and pressure on the Ombudsman’s Office.”

“We know the Ombudsman is also under pressure due to being bogged down with RTI external reviews and complaints.

Ms Webb pointed to a recent experience relating to an RTI request she submitted in 2021 seeking meeting agendas and minutes from the PESRAC pandemic body, appointed by former Premier Peter Gutwein.

“My initial application was submitted in July 2021 and received a partial response. Following subsequent internal and external reviews, I finally received the Ombudsman’s decision on the June 5 this year and the previously denied information on June 21 – three years after both my initial request and PESRAC ceasing to exist.

“Considerable time and resources could have been saved over that three-year period had the RTI culture at the time been consistent with the intent and spirit of the Act by adopting a default position to release rather than withhold.”