❓ Mr. Love questions the Premier on whether the Auditor General needs access to sensitive information for transparency. The Premier affirms this, contrasting their government's approach with the previous Liberal-National government's record on transparency.
AnsweredQoN 523Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
GRIFFIN
COAL — LEGAL ADVICE
523. Mr R.S. LOVE to the Premier:
I have a supplementary question. Does the Premier agree that
the Auditor General, in the interests of transparency, must have access to
sensitive information in order to be able to form an opinion?
COAL — LEGAL ADVICE
523. Mr R.S. LOVE to the Premier:
I have a supplementary question. Does the Premier agree that
the Auditor General, in the interests of transparency, must have access to
sensitive information in order to be able to form an opinion?
AnswerView source ↗
I certainly do, and that is
why we brought laws into this Parliament to clarify and provide certainty for
the Auditor General around the access to appropriate documents. That
stands in sharp contrast to those opposite when they were in government. On 26
June 2015, the Auditor General publicly condemned the then Liberal–National
government for refusal to be transparent and accountable. As Gareth Parker, a journalist
at the time, reported in The Western Australian —
Auditor-General Colin Murphy has revealed he is
dealing with an unprecedented number of decisions by Barnett Government
ministers to keep information secret from Parliament.
The article went on to say that there has been a significant
increase in the number of times that the government sought to keep things
secret.
The record of the Barnett government is exposed even further
by the special inquiry by former Under Treasurer John Langoulant. He found —
A general lack of transparency and
default response of 'commercial-in-confidence' to questions
about projects has led to a reduction in accountability.
Throughout the examination of the
programs and projects that form the Terms of Reference for the Special Inquiry,
evidence of over-use of 'commercial-in-confidence' and lack of
transparency about project decision-making and progress reporting was
uncovered.
We believe that we are providing a government that is
appropriately accountable to the people of Western Australia and that we are
appropriately transparent in the way we do things. It is a fact of life in
government that there are certain matters that we cannot disclose because they
are either commercial-in-confidence or of a legally privileged nature. We will
continue to be as transparent as is prudent and possible because they are our
values. That is one of the reasons we are
providing clarity to the Auditor General and why we continue to work with her
and her office to make sure that they can be provided with information so they
can continue to provide the people of Western Australia with confidence
that the government is responsible with laws and resources.
why we brought laws into this Parliament to clarify and provide certainty for
the Auditor General around the access to appropriate documents. That
stands in sharp contrast to those opposite when they were in government. On 26
June 2015, the Auditor General publicly condemned the then Liberal–National
government for refusal to be transparent and accountable. As Gareth Parker, a journalist
at the time, reported in The Western Australian —
Auditor-General Colin Murphy has revealed he is
dealing with an unprecedented number of decisions by Barnett Government
ministers to keep information secret from Parliament.
The article went on to say that there has been a significant
increase in the number of times that the government sought to keep things
secret.
The record of the Barnett government is exposed even further
by the special inquiry by former Under Treasurer John Langoulant. He found —
A general lack of transparency and
default response of 'commercial-in-confidence' to questions
about projects has led to a reduction in accountability.
Throughout the examination of the
programs and projects that form the Terms of Reference for the Special Inquiry,
evidence of over-use of 'commercial-in-confidence' and lack of
transparency about project decision-making and progress reporting was
uncovered.
We believe that we are providing a government that is
appropriately accountable to the people of Western Australia and that we are
appropriately transparent in the way we do things. It is a fact of life in
government that there are certain matters that we cannot disclose because they
are either commercial-in-confidence or of a legally privileged nature. We will
continue to be as transparent as is prudent and possible because they are our
values. That is one of the reasons we are
providing clarity to the Auditor General and why we continue to work with her
and her office to make sure that they can be provided with information so they
can continue to provide the people of Western Australia with confidence
that the government is responsible with laws and resources.
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