{"id":137189,"date":"2024-10-06T12:59:17","date_gmt":"2024-10-06T02:59:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=137189"},"modified":"2024-10-06T12:59:18","modified_gmt":"2024-10-06T02:59:18","slug":"mark-dreyfus-desperate-sweep-on-taxpayers-to-be-allowed-to-shred-documents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=137189","title":{"rendered":"Mark Dreyfus\u2019 desperate sweep on taxpayers to be allowed to shred documents"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Attorney General Dreyfus looks to spend tens of thousands more of taxpayers\u2019 dollars to appeal a Full Federal Court decision that denied the right of ministers to shred politically sensitive documents as they leave office. Transparency Warrior\u00a0Rex Patrick<\/strong>\u00a0reports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In correspondence to me, the Attorney General\u2019s Department has given a strong signal that the Federal Attorney-General, the Hon Mark Dreyfus KC, will appeal his recent loss in the Full Federal Court to the High Court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In May this year I won a case in the Federal Court against Mr Dreyfus that effectively prohibits ministers who leave office from sweeping their dirty secrets under the carpet on the way out \u2013 killing off any FOI rights for public access to controversial documents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In her decision, Justice Charlesworth declared:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cI accept that there may be very strong political resistance to an outgoing Minister transferring documents forming the subject of a pending FOI request to a new incumbent, particularly on a change of Government. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis Court was told that it was common practice for documents not to be transferred. But the FOI Act is not concerned with party-political matters other than to the extent provided for in respect of documents correctly described as falling within certain exemptions. To the contrary, it is a regime devised to enlarge scrutiny of Government activities in accordance with its terms, including in cases where scrutiny is not wanted. If there be a common practice of the kind suggested to this Court in submissions, it is not one that is authorised or contemplated by the FOI Act and it should stop. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe balance between maintenance of secrecy and public access is one that is struck by the Parliament. It is legislation, not political or administrative convention, that is determinative of Mr Patrick\u2019s rights in the present case.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Shocking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Michael West Media and Rex Patrick<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Attorney General Dreyfus looks to spend tens of thousands more of taxpayers\u2019 dollars to appeal a Full Federal Court decision that denied the right of ministers to shred politically sensitive documents as they leave office.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":137190,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[273,999,471,32],"tags":[5982,13281,13758],"class_list":["post-137189","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-australia","category-australia-politics","category-news","category-news-and-opinion","tag-canberra","tag-mark-dreyfus","tag-michael-west-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t