Media Release: Upper House Calls on Government to Review Inadequate Ministerial Diaries
Flawed Ministerial Diaries Disclosure System to be Overhauled
Upper House Votes in Support of Public Review
Tuesday, 10 September 2024
Independent Member for Nelson Meg Webb today welcomed the Legislative Council vote in support of her call for the current Ministerial Diaries disclosure system to be put out for public consultation regarding its adequacy.
“The current Ministerial diaries disclosure process is a farcical and flawed system,” Ms Webb said.
“Instead of it providing a rigorous, timely and meaningful component of our transparency and accountability toolkit, the current disclosures regime has become just another brick in the government’s obfuscation wall.
“The lack of transparency provided by the current so-called diaries disclosure system is truly Orwellian.
“Tasmanians deserve better than a three-monthly list of columns, half of which are empty, and purpose of the other half described as ‘various matters’.
“Despite the Government trying to avoid the public consultation process endorsed by the Upper House last year, the community should now have a say in when ministerial diaries should be released, what they should contain, and appropriate oversight of the system.”
Ms Webb said the Upper House has also formally requested the Government provide an update report to the House by the last parliamentary sitting day on the November 28 this year.
Background:
On the 28th of March 2023 the Legislative Council voted in support of Ms Webb’s motion calling on the government to commence consultation on a mandatory best practice ministerial diaries disclosure model.
Instead, the Rockliff government moved to a non-mandatory Ministerial Diaries Quarterly Routine Disclosures system which began at the end of April 2023 with the release of the Jan-March 2023 period in arrears.
View below text of Meg’s motion debated and passed by the Legisaltive Council today, or view it as a pdf here.
- That the Legislative Council notes the resolution of this House on the 28 March 2023 requesting the Tasmanian Government undertakes to introduce mandated requirements for the regular and routine disclosure of all Ministerial and Cabinet Secretary official diaries, detailing scheduled meetings, and their purpose, with stakeholders and organisations, including third parties and lobbyists; and when developing this disclosure regime to also;
(a) ensure the process is informed by best practice examples of mandatory disclosure of Ministerial diary requirements established in other jurisdictions, including examples of oversight and compliance requirements; and
(b) develop and publicly consult on a proposed Tasmanian mandatory disclosure of Ministerial diaries scheme.
2. That the Legislative Council further notes that:
(a) public consultation on a proposed Tasmanian mandatory disclosure of Ministerial diaries scheme did not occur;
(b) the Tasmanian Government introduced quarterly routine disclosure of Ministerial diaries commencing with the January/March 2023 quarter; and
(c) the current routine disclosures of Ministerial diaries system is not mandatory under statute; does not occur in a reliable and timely manner; and the format and details disclosed remain deficient.
3. And that the Legislative Council calls on the Tasmanian government to:
(a) undertake comprehensive and public consultation on a best practice mandatory disclosure of Ministerial diaries model, and that process is to provide for input into the design, disclosure details, timeliness, application, and any other related matter; and
(b) report back to the Legislative Council by 28 November 2024 in relation to the above.
