Five concerns about the FOIA changes
■ Legislation to amend the tenets of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) only needs a simple majority to pass.
■ The amendments extend an FOIA request wait time from 30 days to as many as 180 days.
■ The AG’s office is politically appointed yet the holder is given authority to respond to questions asked of any public entity including Parliament and other State offices.
■ The Opposition is also concerned that there is not enough public consultation before bringing the matter to Parliament for debate.
■ Stakeholders are concerned that the amendments would frustrate the work of the media, as well as obstruct the public from accessing information from the Government.
■ The amendments extend an FOIA request wait time from 30 days to as many as 180 days.
■ The AG’s office is politically appointed yet the holder is given authority to respond to questions asked of any public entity including Parliament and other State offices.
■ The Opposition is also concerned that there is not enough public consultation before bringing the matter to Parliament for debate.
■ Stakeholders are concerned that the amendments would frustrate the work of the media, as well as obstruct the public from accessing information from the Government.