Opposition leader Bill Shorten slammed the proposed body was “not a
fair dinkum anti-corruption commission”. It would be limited in scope
and power and had no transparency.
Voters want their governments – local, state, and federal – to clean up their act and put integrity reforms high on the agenda.
AAP/Mick Tsikas
Almost all states have improved their accountability in recent years, and are far ahead of the Commonwealth government.
Transparency isn’t a silver bullet, but increasing it would go some way to changing the secrecy around who has access – and how much – to the government of the day.
AAP/Lukas Coch
A new report from Grattan Institute argues the secrecy and inequality surrounding who has “say” and “sway” in Canberra can be remedied – if politicians can just find the will to do it.
Edmonton’s new NHL arena opened in 2016 and was partially funded by $226 million from the City of Edmonton.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson
The Calgary Flames are the latest pro sports team asking for public funds for a new arena. Cities across North America help fund sports facilities, but with little transparency and accountability
Students and faculty members have protested arrangements GMU made with donors.
AP Photo/Matt Barakat
When public universities and their foundations take large sums of money from political and strategic philanthropists, they can’t safeguard academic freedom unless there’s some transparency.
Those women affected fear the inquiry they fought for will protect, rather than uncover, the state’s secrets.
John Stillwell/PA
The technology behind blockchain remains a mystery to many, but the it shares many common features with the popular online encyclopedia with which most web users are very familiar.
March for Science in Portland, Oregon, April 22, 2017.
Another Believer
The March for Science on April 14 and Earth Day on April 22 are likely to generate big crowds demonstrating against Trump administration policies. Here are some issues they’ll be marching about.
Personal data has been dubbed the “new oil”, and data brokers are very efficient miners.
Emanuele Toscano/Flickr
Third party data brokers trade in personal information and the industry is worth billions. But the activities of these companies remain largely invisible. It’s time to shine a light.
The Open Budget Index gave Australia’s Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO) report a high score of 93.
Lukas Coch/AAP
Miranda Stewart, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University and Teck Chi Wong, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University
In it’s first inclusion in the Open Budget Index of 115 countries, Australia ranks 12th.
One government transparency movement may now be threatened by the other.
Shutterstock
During Sunshine Week, three scholars of government transparency look at a potential collision between the old freedom of information movement and the new open government movement. Is there room for both?
Reports of sexual misconduct by Oxfam aid workers sparked a flurry of other allegations.
Andy Rain/EPA
To stop sexual exploitation in the aid sector, more self-regulation by NGOs isn’t the answer.
For the global tuna industry, which has historically struggled with illegal and environmentally dubious fishing practices, the use of blockchain could be a turning point.
WWF
Blockchain is now helping to bring much-needed transparency to the global tuna industry, which has been prone to corruption, human slavery and unsustainable fishing practices.
It’s time to build trust.
Arthimedes/Shutterstock.com
Micro-targeted online advertising has destroyed how Americans share experiences and a common knowledge base. The fix for this societal and political problem is as simple now as it was in 1840.
Facebook: what are they really thinking?
Shutterstock
Despite arguments that it is too loose, ambiguous and easy to hide behind, the ‘public interest’ is an integral part of the discourse, law, regulation and governance of modern democracies.
President Donald Trump speaking in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington.
AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File