February 2024
Albo’s plan to get wages moving for lawyers and ad men
The prime minister doesn’t get enough credit for his plan to get wages moving for Australia’s lawyers and ad execs.
- Ronald Mizen
Sensitive Optus documents shared as hard copies in class action suit
Documents to be used in a class action battle over Optus’ 2022 cyberattack will be assigned a traffic light colour, with red for highly confidential information.
- Jenny Wiggins
October 2023
- Exclusive
- Information security
PM backflips on diary but booze bill remains a mystery
Anthony Albanese has reversed a decision to keep his official diary secret, but his department is dragging its feet on his taxpayer-funded alcohol bill.
- Ronald Mizen
March 2023
FOI commissioner quits, citing lack of power and delays
Leo Hardiman was appointed to overhaul the system but says he has not been given enough power to do so.
- Luke Costin
January 2023
Jacqui Lambie threatens Senate action to see PM’s diary
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese could be forced to hand over his official diary if the independent pushes through action in the Senate.
- Ronald Mizen
Anthony Albanese’s diary: PM demands $1344 to see who he’s met
Transparency experts have labelled the prime minister’s approach to releasing extracts of his diary disconcerting and unreasonable.
- Ronald Mizen
November 2022
- Exclusive
- Mark Dreyfus
Chalmers and Dreyfus open up their diaries but PM refuses
The decision puts the prime minister at odds with arguments Labor has made in the past and demands from the crossbench for greater transparency.
- Ronald Mizen
September 2021
- Exclusive
- Scott Morrison
Bureaucrats get half their decisions to refuse FOI requests wrong
One in two decisions by bureaucrats to block access to documents are being overturned by the Information Commissioner.
- Ronald Mizen
- Exclusive
- National cabinet
Rennick to cross floor on national cabinet secrecy laws
LNP senator Gerard Rennick says he will vote against the government’s move to exclude national cabinet from information disclosure laws.
- Ronald Mizen
Hundreds of documents connected to $660m car park program kept secret
The Infrastructure Department is ringfencing paperwork and emails about the controversial commuter vehicle spaces fund.
- Ronald Mizen
Ploy to keep national cabinet secret ‘a convenient lie’
Lawyers have accused the government of trying to turn a lie into law and slammed moves to cloak national cabinet in secrecy.
- Ronald Mizen
August 2021
Secrecy laws don’t apply to national cabinet: judge
The Federal Court’s Richard White has rejected an attempt by the Prime Minister to block access to documents from the powerful government body.
- Ronald Mizen
March 2020
- Exclusive
- Development outrage
Building regulator tries to gag consultants – forever
The Victorian Building Authority is sending out contracts that would prevent contracted suppliers from criticising it or the state government.
- Michael Bleby
November 2019
New Zealand's cladding-affected buildings aren't a secret
Litigation funder IMF Bentham says local councils' public lists make it easier to identify prospective claimants.
- Michael Bleby
- Opinion
- Canberra Observed
Banning boycotts will do business no favours at all
The PM is worried that activists are targeting the economy. He would be better leaving companies to fight those battles.
- Phillip Coorey