You cannot ignore the Albanese government’s increasing opacity while you laud it for the measures above. Compliance rates for Senate SODI orders are at their lowest rates since 2016. Recent statistics reveal that the current administration’s record on compliance is the second-worst since 1993, raising concerns about accountability and public access to information. As the government grapples with issues of disclosure, analysts point to a broader trend of declining government transparency in Australia.
In the last 10 years, section 508 disclosures have failed off a cliff. This retreat marks a deeply concerning change in the commitment to share timely and pertinent information with the traveling public. The Albanese government’s treatment of public interest immunity claims has attracted the attention and criticism. Even more shockingly, almost 68% of its non-compliance found cases are due to these claims. This increasing trend of secrecy has led to a public discussion over the balance between government secrecy and the public’s right to know.
Declining Compliance Rates
The compliance rate of the Albanese government with Senate orders for documents has been a recent centrepiece of that criticism. Combined with a record low compliance rate, watchdogs say this administration has failed to deliver on transparency promises. Former Morrison government averaged one PIIs per three weeks. Find an average of PIIs from previous Morrison government. In comparison, the Albanese government has ramped up its pretension claims to an impressive high of about one per week.
Together, this data shows a clear trend in the opposite direction—growing unwillingness to make information available. That’s almost half of the departures and decisions made so far by the Albanese government that have been either wrong or unjust. 2023 – 24 Internal reviews revealed that these issues were present. This trend exposes true systemic issues deep within the government’s processes for handling Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.
Additionally, outright refusals of information requests have increased from just 12% in 2011–12 to 23% in 2023–24. This jump is indicative of a much more disturbing trend. Increasingly, requests are being denied altogether rather than processed or only partially approved. The percentage of full requests approved has dropped even faster — from 59% down to a mere 25% during that same time frame. These types of statistics should cause great concern over the declining willingness of the federal government to act transparently.
Improvements and Mixed Outcomes
While these numbers are incredibly sobering, the past year has shown some significant advancements under the Albanese government. The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) has finally been given an administration resourced to match – though not compared to previous governments. This priority improvement led to positive impacts on first-instance processing times and an increased number of reviews being completed.
Analysts caution that despite drastically increased resources, the results overall in actually delivering the promised transparency are much more of a mixed picture. The OAIC has been bolstered with more resources, but it is still insufficient. Refusal rates are on the rise, and compliance numbers are falling. Even the most enthusiastic observers agree that the administration’s accomplishments have been impressive in some areas, like processing speed. Sadly, these improvements have not been matched by an uptick in transparency.
The success of these changes will depend on how they’re implemented. They need to make considerable changes in the quality and availability of government information to the public. The ongoing struggle between maintaining confidentiality and ensuring public access to information may continue to challenge this administration moving forward.
The Future of Government Transparency
As transparency in Australia reaches ever-gloomier depths, it raises troubling questions about the long-term future of government accountability. At the moment, it’s the Albanese government being tested by the FOI requests and Senate orders. How they go about this will have a significant impact on public trust and confidence in government institutions.
In the wake of these shortcomings, transparency advocates have gone back and forth with the government to change how and why they disclose information. This has led to mounting demands for stronger frameworks that put public interest first while protecting legitimate confidentiality.
And what’s happening now is alarming. Without these important changes to making government information truly available and useful, Australia risks falling down a growing path of secrecy rather than transparency. Reforms within the OAIC will be important steps towards increasing transparency of government agencies. Further, the Albanese administration’s willingness to alter its disclosure practices will be a considerable factor in shaping this future landscape.