A lengthy article by Rodney Tiffen, “The Abbott government’s war on transparency,” documents government efforts to undermine transparency in Australia.

“What is at stake in these moves to reduce public transparency and public knowledge is not only who gains partisan advantage, but also, and much more importantly, the capacity of citizens and consumers to make informed choices,” Tiffen concludes. “As they proceed, Australian democracy will become the poorer.”

 Tiffen is an Australian emeritus professor of political science in the Department of Government and International Relations at the University of Sydney.

 Peter Timmons in his Open and Shut blog commented further, saying, “Even this long list of valid reasons for concern isn’t the complete picture.”

The government in May proposed to abolish the Office of Australian Information Commissioner. (See previous FreedomInfo.org report.)

Timmons also noted the government’s indecision about whether to join the Open Government Partnership.

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