‘Addiction to secrecy’: opposition and crossbench slam Labor’s ‘undemocratic’ changes to FoI – including charging fees

The Australian Labor government is proposing changes to Freedom of Information (FoI) laws, including introducing fees for requests and reducing the scope of releasable documents. The government claims these changes are necessary to address challenges posed by AI-generated requests. However, the proposal has faced strong opposition from Coalition, Greens, and independent senators. These senators have criticized the changes as "undemocratic" and indicative of a lack of transparency. A Labor-chaired Senate inquiry recommended the bill be passed, but dissenting reports from the opposition and crossbench condemned the plans. The proposed changes and the resulting controversy highlight a significant debate over government transparency and access to information.

Explore how the topics in this article connect to other news stories