A court battle over a climate protest at Woodside Energy’s Perth headquarters has reignited calls for Australian governments to introduce laws to prevent large corporations from using costly legal action to silence critics.
Join The Australia Institute co-CEO Richard Denniss, Chief Political Analyst Amy Remeikis and Democracy Director Bill Browne as they discuss what's changed in Australian politics since the last election and where it might go from here.
These news stories show that FOI plays an important role in Australian democracy, but governments too often drag their feet on releasing information that the public is entitled to. The ABC reported in April that requests for documents from Victoria Police are now slower than at any point in its history, with those seeking access now facing a nine-month wait.
Less than two days after learning about the AUKUS agreement, then opposition leader Anthony Albanese decided to support the biggest defence procurement in Australian history. This isn’t just a quick turnaround for a massive multinational defence deal; it’s a fraction of the time it takes Australian bureaucracy to do far simpler tasks.
