5 years ago
TAYLOR'S DEPARTMENT WITHHOLDS FOI DOCUMENTS ABOUT THE GRASSLANDS AFFAIR
TERRI BUTLER MP
Evidence has emerged in Senate estimates today that the Department of Environment and Energy has failed to publish Freedom of Information (FOI) documents relating to the investigation of a company part-owned by the Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction, Angus Taylor.
Mr Taylor’s department has admitted to breaching the Freedom of Information Act in a letter to the Office of Australian Information Commissioner, placed quietly on its FOI website, dated 18 October 2019.
In response to questions from Senator Katy Gallagher, the department confirmed it has breached the FOI Act by failing to publish FOI documents within 10 working days of giving them to an applicant. The Department’s disclosure log only contains documents released up until 17 December 2018 (as at the date of its letter), a whopping 10 months ago.
Conveniently, documents not published by Mr Taylor’s department include those that partially disclose the involvement of Mr Taylor and Josh Frydenberg in the grasslands affair.
As Australia’s media launches the Right to Know campaign, the Morrison Government is continuing its failed and secretive freedom from informationapproach.
The information in these FOI disclosures go to Mr Taylor’s breach of ministerial standards and the circumstances surrounding a departmental investigation of his part-owned company Jam Land.
The Minister’s company is still being investigated by his own department.
That same department has failed to publish documents related to that investigation that the law requires to be published.
The department has been aware it is breaching the FOI Act for months.
This looks and smells fishy because it is.
The Prime Minister needs to explain why Australians should trust him when he allows his departments to breach the FOI Act with no consequences.
Mr Taylor’s department has admitted to breaching the Freedom of Information Act in a letter to the Office of Australian Information Commissioner, placed quietly on its FOI website, dated 18 October 2019.
In response to questions from Senator Katy Gallagher, the department confirmed it has breached the FOI Act by failing to publish FOI documents within 10 working days of giving them to an applicant. The Department’s disclosure log only contains documents released up until 17 December 2018 (as at the date of its letter), a whopping 10 months ago.
Conveniently, documents not published by Mr Taylor’s department include those that partially disclose the involvement of Mr Taylor and Josh Frydenberg in the grasslands affair.
As Australia’s media launches the Right to Know campaign, the Morrison Government is continuing its failed and secretive freedom from informationapproach.
The information in these FOI disclosures go to Mr Taylor’s breach of ministerial standards and the circumstances surrounding a departmental investigation of his part-owned company Jam Land.
The Minister’s company is still being investigated by his own department.
That same department has failed to publish documents related to that investigation that the law requires to be published.
The department has been aware it is breaching the FOI Act for months.
This looks and smells fishy because it is.
The Prime Minister needs to explain why Australians should trust him when he allows his departments to breach the FOI Act with no consequences.