VICTORIA has been branded "the secret state", with authorities bugging people at alarming rates and major government agencies refusing access to basic information.
The number of court orders that information be withheld or hearings be closed to the public has exploded as government agencies spend taxpayer cash buying advice about how to dodge scrutiny.
Now there are calls for a radical shake-up of public disclosure laws.
A Herald Sun analysis of government reports reveals how public institutions are keeping Victorians in the dark. It reveals:
MORE than 400 warrants for thousands of secret listening devices, hidden cameras and computer monitoring bugs have been deployed across Victoria since 2006, some with authorisation only from police rather than a court.
THE number of suppression orders issued in Victoria's higher courts has more than doubled since 2005.
VICTORIA Police, which receives more FoI requests than any agency each year, granted in full only 5 per cent of requests last year, down from 32 per cent in 2000.
Across all government agencies, access is fully granted in about 75 per cent of FoI applications. Police hold more sensitive information than other agencies which may partially explain the difference.
The Herald Sun has revealed that judges last year allowed police to tap the phones of 388 Victorians, up 57 on the previous year.
Mark Woods, of the Law Institute of Victoria's access to justice committee, hit out at the rampant use of bugs.
He warned of a culture of secrecy in government and said lawyers felt privacy laws were being selectively applied in decisions to deny access to information under FoI laws.
"Personally, it does trouble me," he said.
Mr Woods said law firms routinely advised government agencies in FoI disputes and FoI administration. One such firm describes such work as "preventative, proactive assistance".
Monash University governance expert Dr Ken Coghill called for an overhaul of disclosure practices through "right to know" legislation.
"If information is held by government, it should automatically be available unless there is some public interest reason for making it unavailable," he said.
The Baillieu Government expects to introduce its FoI Commissioner this year.
heraldsun 11 Jun 2011
Victoria has been long considered a Police State.
The rules and regulations brought in by government are not only taking away the civil liberties of the people, but also the new laws are putting the masses into passive slavery.
Mainstream reporters are now slowly reporting this fact, and information is being put forward that there is not only a large amount of corruption in government but also a secrecy, and blatant coverup.
The Eureka Stockade was a protest by workers for fair work conditions.
As a response to this, the government sent troops up to Ballarat to shoot the protestors.
This attitude of governance is NOT different today, but rather is not carried out in the extreme form it was done in the 1800's.
No comments:
Post a Comment