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Independent senator Rex Patrick has threatened to take legal action against the freedom of information umpire for âunreasonableâ delays in reviewing his requests to access government documents.
Senator Patrick wrote to the Australian Information Commissioner, Angelene Falk, this week saying he would have no choice but to begin Federal Court proceedings unless his complaint was addressed within 14 days.
Senator Rex Patrick says the Coalition is responsible for creating âthis messâ.
Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
The South Australian senator, who is an advocate of open government, said 18 of his FoI requests had been with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) for review for more than six months, including three for more than two years. They included requests for access to defence and foreign affairs documents as well as advice relating to the governmentâs handling of the so-called sports rorts saga.
Senator Rex Patrick threatens legal action over FoI delays
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Senator Rex Patrick threatens legal action over FoI delays
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Source: Unsplash/Jefferson Santos.
Australian enterprises and listed companies can benefit strongly from adopting New Zealand’s new privacy laws as a model for how to manage cyber risk. New Zealand’s laws bring information security ethics forward, significantly beyond just focusing on mandatory disclosure.
Private sector organisations with an annual turnover of more than $3 million and Commonwealth public sector agencies in Australia are bound by the mandatory breach notification laws. ASX-listed companies also have other obligations to notify the ASX of anything that could materially affect share price.
Cybersecurity breaches can have widespread implications not only affecting businesses, but also jeopardising essential service provision as we saw recently when Eastern Health, the operator of four hospitals in Melbourne, was hit by a cyber attack forcing it to postpone elective surgeries.