Councils that only accept cheques ‘hindering information flow’
Councils and government agencies that only accept cheques and postal orders for Freedom of Information applications have been accused of ‘hindering’ the flow of information.
VIC News
Don't miss out on the headlines from VIC News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Councils and government agencies that only accept cheques and postal orders for Freedom of Information applications need to modernise to allow more transparency, the state’s information commissioner has said.
At least 12 Victorian councils do not accept electronic or credit card payments from people making FOI applications, forcing people to use antiquated methods such as cheques for money orders from the post office.
This is despite every council capturing millions of dollars in rates and parking payments online.
“If you can pay a parking fine or whatever it is electronically, then there’s really no excuse for a council not to provide FOI payments electronically,’’ commissioner Sven Bluemmel said.
“It clearly has the potential to hinder that flow (of information) and as far as I’m concerned, under the FOI, that’s a bad outcome.
Cheques now represent less than 1 per cent of non-cash payments and are likely to be phased out altogether in coming years.
Mr Bluemmel call comes as Victoria introduces a new professional standards code for dealing with FOI.
Mr Bluemmel said anyone who was unhappy with not being able to pay in their preferred manner could lodge a complaint with the FOI Commissioner.
The new professional standards state: “An agency requiring payment of an application fee must take reasonable steps to provide options for payment of that fee in line with accepted payment methods the agency provides for other services of a similar financial sum.’’
Mr Bluemmel also said more information should be available to the public and sometimes beyond the FOI process.
“More should be available, frankly. There are of course good reasons in certain cases where information should not be available.
“If it’s things about government decision-making about infrastructure or policies and all of those sorts of things, it’s much harder to argue that the public does not have the right.’’
“I’ve just been sending a message to agencies and at local government level, (to) release whatever is possible and leave the FOI process for the really tricky ones where there’s genuine public reason for not disclosing something.’’
MORE NEWS:
TRANSPORT CHAOS LOOMS AS WORKS CHOKE MELBOURNE
WHAT SPARKED SAVAGE CHRISTMAS DAY BASHING
THE MOST JAW-DROPPING PHOTOS OF THE DECADE
Yarra, Hume and Greater Bendigo are among the councils which do not accept online electronic payments. Until recently anyone wanting to submit an application with VicRoads had to dig out the cheque book.
The push for greater transparency in all levels of local government has been headed by the Australian media’s Right To Know campaign this year.