Access to justice
Media and commentary related to our work promoting access to justice issues, such as freedom of information and access to courts and tribunals.
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2SER: Why changes to freedom of information law could harm transparency
Australia’s freedom of information system is broken, but the Australian Government’s proposed changes would make it even worse.
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Lawyers Weekly: New laws ensure ‘courts aren’t just the realm of a wealthy few’
Senior Solicitor Mitchell Skipsey explained why this reform serves the public interest.
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New costs protection laws a game changer for access to justice
This reform will improve access to justice for people who have endured sexual harassment or discrimination on the basis of their race, sex, disability or other attributes.
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The Guardian: Open letter urges government to fix ‘highly dysfunctional’ FOI system
We joined other civil society organisations in calling for FOI reforms.
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Joint letter to Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus urging freedom of information reform
Leading transparency and civil society organisations have joined with community legal centres in calling for FOI reform.
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Civil society open letter urges Attorney-General to fix broken Freedom of Information system
Legal organisations, freedom of information (FOI) experts and media groups are urging Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus to publicly clarify the Government’s position on FOI reform. Following a damning Senate Committee report into the operation of Commonwealth FOI laws, an open letter from organisations and individuals including the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC), Grata Fund, the Media,…
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Democracy groups call on Government to overhaul broken FOI system in line with inquiry report
Yesterday evening, the Senate’s Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee released its report into the operation of Commonwealth Freedom of Information (FOI) laws. The Committee’s report paints a damning picture of a highly dysfunctional, under-resourced FOI regime, citing multi-year delays, excessive use of exemptions, problematic interpretations of FOI laws, prohibitive expenses, and cultural issues within the…
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2SER: Reforming Australia’s Freedom of Information laws
Australia’s Freedom of Information (FOI) system is failing – with people who make FOI requests facing long delays and heavily redacted documents. FOI laws give Australians the right to access information held by government and government agencies, and are vital for holding authorities to account. But the system is facing criticism. The PIAC has made…
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Freedom of information win exposes need for reform
We supported a client to get access to information held by the government, using freedom of information processes.
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2SER: An appropriate cost model for Commonwealth discrimination cases
The Federal Government is looking at changing unfair laws that discourage people from taking a discrimination or sexual harassment complaint to court. Their review is in response to the National Inquiry into Sexual Harassment and its Respect@Work report, which revealed that people aren’t taking those complaints to court because of the financial risk of having…