Australian Open Government

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Points of View

Former Secretary of PMC on the next wave of reform ideas

29th March 2019

This Points of view was written by Peter Timmins   In delivering the Jim Carlton Lecture to the Accountability Roundtable Terry Moran kicked off the debate with suggestions that include:   a return to a public service able to provide frank advice to Ministers, formalising the role of Ministerial Advisers to make them accountable for their actions, thorough…


Thodey Inquiry into APS Interim Report

29th March 2019

This Points of view was written by Peter Timmins.   There are plenty of references to open government related issues in the report that identifies as one of the imperatives for change, that:   “the APS is too often perceived by stakeholders to be a closed book, reflecting a risk averse culture, reluctance to provide information…


‘Good government’ coming soon?

30th January 2019

Four years ago then Prime Minister Tony Abbott told the nation “good government starts today” but that turned out badly, hopes rose with the arrival of Malcolm Turnbull in November that year but didn’t amount to much, and the words so far are yet to pass Scott Morrison’s  lips. So how do we rate? On…


Access and influence-‘not the fair go Australians expect.’

8th October 2018

The Grattan Institute paper Who’s in the room? Access and influence in Australian politics“ is a detailed analysis of government policy making, that finds “Powerful groups have triumphed over the public interest in some recent debates, from pokies reform to pharmaceutical prices, to toll roads and superannuation governance. Stronger checks and balances on policy influence are…


Consultation round one on Second National Action Plan

29th March 2018

The following  personal comments about the recent consultation meetings organised by Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet are posted on the PMC website. Always interested in your views. …………………………………… Based on the Sydney meet that I attended and feedback from Canberra and Melbourne, the round of consultations was disappointing to put it mildly. Attendances were…


Open Contracting-a key tool in the fight against corruption

7th December 2017

Australia committed to undertake a review of existing compliance with the Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) with a view to increase  compliance, but to date there has been little public discussion, debate or action. Elsewhere open contracting is a hot anti-corruption topic as  Sanjay Pradhan CEO OGP explained in remarks at Open Contracting Partnership conference…



Open Government vs Productivity Commission on Data Availability and Use

15th June 2017

Australia’s first Open Government National Action Plan (2016-18) is a series of reforms that include some ambitious commitments, that set the stage for potentially transformative outcomes for citizens. These include “transforming our information access laws, policies and practices are modern and appropriate for the digital information age”, “building public trust around data sharing and release”,…


Reflections on open government

9th June 2017

Interview published in OGP Newsletter June 2017 Faces of Open Government Australia | 8 June 2017 How did you get involved in open government – what is your personal story about why you joined the movement? I became aware of the Open Government Partnership the day after the inaugural meeting in New York on 20…


Next Steps on Australia’s Path to Open Government

31st May 2017

When the Interim Working Group agreed to go ahead with a plan to establish a Multistakeholder Forum by the end of June, I said it would be ambitious. It’s still ambitious. And it’s still doable. From here, at least, it does look like it’s still on track. On Wednesday 17 May, Department of the Prime Minister and…