NT Public Information Act oversight to move from Auditor-General to Ombudsman

Politicians will no longer be able to weaponise trivial complaints to the Auditor-General under proposed changes that would strip the watchdog of its role overseeing public information.

NT Auditor-General Jara Dean. Picture: Supplied.

Northern Territory politicians will no longer be able to weaponise trivial complaints to the Auditor-General under proposed changes that would strip the watchdog of its role overseeing public information.

Under the reforms, oversight of the Public Information Act would transfer from the Auditor General to the Ombudsman, who would also be granted discretion to dismiss or discontinue complaints.

The Public Information Amendment Bill was introduced to parliament, which Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said would make the laws regulating government records and communications more fit for purpose.

“Assessing the content of public information is not a core responsibility of the Auditor-General,” she said.

“Whereas, the Ombudsman operates through a complaint-driven model and regularly investigates public concerns about government administration.”

The Bill grants the Ombudsman the sole discretion in deciding whether to start, continue, or discontinue a review or investigation of public information, or a complaint under the Public Information Act.

The reforms will mean the Ombudsman can refuse to investigate trivial complaints. Picture: Fia Walsh.

Auditor-General Jara Dean said he supported the transfer of responsibility out of his office “mainly to stop my role from being politicised”.

The reform follows a recommendation from an independent 2024 Strategic Review of the Northern Territory Auditor-General’s Office, which also called for immediate action against funding pressures, key person dependency, and threats to the office’s independence.

Earlier this year, Mr Dean released a report into complaints made about a politically charged poster hung in a Parliament House bathroom, an invitation to an event, and social media posts shared by four ministers.

In the report Mr Dean made a thinly veiled dig at the “time and resources” spent by his office in reviewing and reporting on the matters, and the “opportunity cost” of limited resources being diverted from core purposes.

It was noted in the strategic review that the office had to defer and limit several department audits scheduled that year due to resourcing constraints.

While Mr Dean found the social media posts did breach the Public Information Act, some of the ministers involved refused to follow his advice and remove the posts.

Originally published as NT Public Information Act oversight to move from Auditor-General to Ombudsman