The Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance raised its concerns after the government rushed through new laws at 3.30am (AEST) on Friday to protect the identities of people named in files from the Fitzgerald Inquiry into police corruption, which were accidentally released.
MEAA president Christopher Warren had already slammed a decision last week to withhold the full Commission of Audit into the state's finances - chaired by former federal treasurer Peter Costello - and only release an executive summary.
"Rolling out morsels of information and drip-feeding them to the media isn't worthy of any government elected to serve the people," Mr Warren said in a statement on Friday.
"It would be quite wrong to use such the tactic for other issues it wants to keep hidden from the public.
"The government should be subject to proper, rigorous scrutiny by the fourth estate - that's the function of the media in a healthy democracy."
But the government said it was clearly committed to openness and accountability, and its recent actions on the matter involving the Fitzgerald inquiry had been taken reluctantly and only at the urging of the state's Crime and Misconduct Commission (CMC).
"The MEAA also ignores the fact that the legislation imposes only temporary restrictions subject to the outcome of an open and public investigation into the release of the documents," a spokesman for Premier Campbell Newman told AAP.
He said the government would release the full Costello report after it has had time to consider the recommendations.
The spokesman pointed to the government's public release of the diaries of all cabinet ministers each month, the changes it has made to the information laws and its open data reforms.
"The Newman government is leading the way with its commitment to open and accountable government," he said.
ninemsn.com.au 9 Mar 2013
It is not just the Queensland government that suppresses information.
In order not to expose corruption in government and with police, the government is tight lipped about its operations.
Just because the government 'said' it doesn't suppress information does not automatically make it true.
THE biggest liars are in government, and when it comes to elections it's open slather, one lie after another.
As an example Australia's current Prime Minister Julia Gillard, nicknamed 'Ju-liar' stated falsely that one she is PM there will be no Carbon Tax. Carbon Tax has been introduced once Gillard became PM.
No comments:
Post a Comment