What’s New
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11 February 2013
Australian Documents Show Very Slight Interest in OGP
Australia’s timid thoughts on whether to join to the Open Government Partnership are now revealed in a handful of government documents released to Australian blogger Peter Timmins, who sees some recent hints that Australia might join. The internal assessments, beginning in May of 2012, exhibit what Timmins calls “limited safe within the square thinking.” One document observes […]
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11 February 2013
Tanzania Will Seek Input on RTI Bill, Minister Says
Tanzania’s Minister for Constitutional and Legal Affairs, Mathias Chikawe, recently told representatives of the National Coalition on Right to Information that the government will seek public input on the drafting of a law. “As long as I am here, I will make sure we get more views so that we won’t be criticised for not […]
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8 February 2013
Guyana FOI Law Not In Effect; US Urges Action
The 16–month-old Guyana freedom of information law is not yet operational and the lag-time is getting more attention. The government has yet to declare the law in effect and appoint an information commissioner, the steps that trigger the law’s implementation, according to persons familiar with the process. The law was passed Sept. 15, 2011 and […]
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8 February 2013
African Commission Set to Revisit Model FOI Law
The model freedom of information law for Africa is on the agenda for discussion this month by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. The draft model law (English and French) has been modified since it was first discussed by the Commission in 2012, FreedomInfo.org was told, although a new draft has not yet […]
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8 February 2013
Roadmap Developed During Conference in China on Government Transparency
(The following report is from the Carter Center.) Peking University Law School and the Carter Center jointly hosted a conference on December 12-13, 2012, entitled “Government Transparency and Innovations: Achievements, Challenges, and the Way Forward,” in order to consolidate knowledge about China’s achievements and progress in this area, and to consider next steps in overcoming […]
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8 February 2013
El Salvador Legislature Amends Access Law
The Legislative Assembly in El Salvador on Feb. 8 passed amendments to the 2010 access law that critics say will weaken it, according to sources and a media account (in Spanish) in La Prensa. The proposed changes (in Spanish) were submitted Feb. 7 by representatives of the ruling party, FMLN (Frente Farabundo Martí para la […]
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8 February 2013
Acceso a la información en El Salvador: el secreto contrataca
By Natalia Torres Torres is Investigadora Principal del CELE Para quienes promovemos el derecho a saber las leyes que lo regulan son muy importantes. Haber conseguido su aprobación, haber logrado que sus artículos respeten principios y estándares internacionales son batallas que nos enorgullecen. Y hacemos bien: la aprobación de una ley nacional de acceso a la información […]
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8 February 2013
Danish Government Seeks To Protect Decision Documents
The Danish government Feb. 7 officially presented changes to the freedom of information law that were negotiated in late 2012 among the leading political parties. Particular controversial are amendments that would reduce access to documents prepared by government officials about the creation of government policy, according to a newspaper report. “The justice minister, Morten Bødskov (Socialdemokraterne), explained […]
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8 February 2013
Rulings in Holland Ban Charging FOI Processing Fees
Two court rulings in Holland have said that requesters may not be charged for the cost of processing their freedom of information requests. They may be assessed the costs of making copies and mailing. “This is a landslide victory although in The Netherlands there are no, and there were never, legal grounds for charging fees,” […]
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8 February 2013
FOI Notes: Reports, Contests, Blog Posts
Municipal Governance/Philippines: Global Integrity has published a new data set assessing governance and anti-corruption measures at the local level in the Philippines, the Philippines Local Governance Transparency and Accountability Indicators. The indicators include a total of 205 specific questions that were scored by local researchers through a combination of intensive desk research and hundreds of […]
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6 February 2013
Aquino Blamed for Failure to Pass Philippines FOI Bill
Philippines President Benigno Aquino was disingenuous in his promise of support for freedom of information legislation, according to strongly worded statement from the broadly based Right to Know. Right Now! Coalition. “Mag-Ingat sa Hindi Tunay” (Beware of Fakes), is the headline on the statement with 160 signatures that was issued Feb. 6 as Congress ended […]
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4 February 2013
Last OGP Action Plans to Be Presented in April Meeting
Eleven countries will present their Open Government Partnership national action plans at a meeting April 24 in London, according to OGP officials. The presentations will mean that all but one of the 58 OGP member countries will have submitted the plans that embody their commitments to more open governance. Argentina, the most recent country to […]
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4 February 2013
Tanzania Say More Study Needed on FOI Measure
The Tanzanian government has said more research is necessary before it introduces a freedom of information bill. Amos Makalla, Deputy Minister for Information, Youth, Culture and Sports, said Feb. 1 that a bill will not be tabled in the National Assembly soon, which was “widely anticipated by stakeholders including media practitioners,” according to an article […]
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4 February 2013
FOI OK for Courts, But Not New Zealand Parliament
The New Zealand government has said it is willing to apply the Official Information Act to the administrative functions of the courts, but will not support having it extended to cover Parliament. Justice Minister Judith Collins Feb. 4 gave the government’s responses to recommendations from the Law Commission in July of 2012, supporting many of […]
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4 February 2013
Court Tells Indian State to Pick Info Commissioners
The high court of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh has ordered the government to seek applications in order to fill the 10 vacant posts of the State Information Commission, according to articles in the Daily Pioneer and the Jagran Post. Most of the positions have been vacant since August of 2010, resulting in a […]
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4 February 2013
Legislative Calendar Slips for FOI Legislation in Malawi
The government of Malawi will not submit a freedom of information bill during the current session of parliament, according to a media report. This development was met with regret by Anthony Kasunda, the chairperson of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Malawi chapter. Kasunda told Capital FM that “the process will delay a bit. […]
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4 February 2013
FOI Notes: Open Data, Tisne Blog, Governance, EU
New Blog: “open up” — a new “personal’ blog for “freedom of information activists, open data geeks, fiscal transparency zealots and more, by Martin Tisne, who leads policy, advocacy strategy, and related investments for the global Government Transparency initiative of Omidyar Network. Governance: “Uncomfortable thought about governance for the day: The idea of good governance […]
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1 February 2013
Indian Court Denies State Commission Right to Appeal
The Indian Supreme Court on Jan. 18 rejected as “frivolous” a petition from the Karnataka information commissioner challenging a Karnataka High Court order that overturning the commissioner’s decision, according to an article in The Deccan Herald. The order has “serious implications” for the RTI Act, wrote Shailesh Gandhi, who served as Central Information Commissioner from […]
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31 January 2013
FOI Notes: Proactive Disclosure, OGP, U.S. Sunshine Week, Open Data Day, China, Fellowships, Presidential Health, Taxes
Proactive Transparency: A webinar on proactive transparency will be held at Feb. 19 at 10 a.m. EST (| 4:00 – 5:00 PM Spain, 3:00 – 4:00 PM UK (15:00 GMT), featuring HelenDarbishire, (Executive Director, Access Info Europe) and Kevin Dunion (Executive Director, Center for Freedom of Information, University of Dundee). It is sponsored by the […]
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31 January 2013
Uruguay Mandates Agencies to Accept E-FOI Requests
The Uruguay Access to Information Unit has issued a ruling requiring government agencies to accept electronic requests for information. The ruling follows the creation of a website by the Center for Archives and Access to Public Information (CAINFO) the filing of information requests. (See previous FreeedomInfo.org report.) The group describes the new policy nd provides […]