[Greens-Media] FOI campaign - update

[Freja.Leonard at parliament.vic.gov.au]

***APOLOGIES FOR CROSS POSTINGS AND MULTIPLE SENDS***
Dear Active Citizen

We wanted to send this quick update and also to say thankyou.  We have 
received an enormous response to our call to action on the State 
Government's FOI Bill and the campaign is really starting to bite.

Feedback we've had from Labor, Liberal, DLP and National MPs indicate that 
your emails have made a strong impression on them.  For example, many of 
you have received a reply from the National Party leader Peter Ryan, where 
it is clear he's leaving his options open as the bill moves into debate in 
the upper house.

At the moment, we think that the Bill will not be voted on this week.  If 
the Bill comes up for debate it will not be before Thursday.  If it does, 
we will send an urgent alert email, so that people can telephone the party 
leaders' offices or attend the debate.  We need a full public gallery in 
the State Parliament so that all parties know this is an issue on which 
they are being closely watched - literally! 

If the Bill is delayed, we wont sit again till the 11th of March and we 
have even more opportunity to spread the word and defeat these worrying 
plans.

With the strength of your efforts behind us, we feel strongly that we can 
move an amendment to delete the entire 'vexatious' section from the 
proposed Freedom of Information Amendment Bill 2007 and will be pushing 
this argument strongly with the other parties over the next few days. As a 
backstop, if that amendment were to fail, we've prepared another amendment 
that narrows the test to capture only the most blatantly vexatious cases 
and puts in multiple checks and balances.

Another result of this campaign is that many community groups have stepped 
forward to express their concern.

The Federation of Community Legal Centres has pointed out that the State 
Parliament is currently reviewing the vexatious litigant provisions of the 
Supreme Court Act (due to report in December this year) and asks why the 
provisions are being expanded before the outcomes of this review.  
http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/lawreform/  We think this is a strong 
argument for putting the whole idea of vexatious applicants on hold.

The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (journalists' union) has 
expressed concern about these laws.  After all, these laws could 
specifically target their members whilst on the job.  It is the individual 
journalist who would be declared 'vexatious', not their employer.

Liberty Victoria has pointed to the dangers of making active citizens a 
target and thinks the current provisions can't pass, calling for a rethink 
and rewrite.    Moreland City council passed a resolution opposing the 
changes.  Brimbank Council will vote on a similar motion tonight..

Plus lots of local action groups, many of whom regularly seeking 
information on local environmental issues have told us of their support 
for strong FOI laws.

Unfortunately, there's still been little in the way of media coverage of 
this issue. 

A notable exception was the Geelong Advertiser, who ran an opinion piece 
from the three Green MLCs.  3CR have run a number of interviews.

ACTION LIST

Please forward these links to friends who might be interested:  
http://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/article/2008/02/21/11575_opinion.html 
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/1,9191,23171288-24218,00.html

Please send a letter to the editor of the Age and Herald Sun or to your 
regional press as well as a message to your favourite talkback outlets 
asking them to discuss the issue.  The points in the two links above are 
as good a summary as any.

Some of you have sent emails to your local  members as well as the party 
leaders and the response has been good.  If you want to know how to 
contact them, look here:  
http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/mps.html

And finally, a quote from Rob Hulls, Attorney General and sponsor of the 
FOI Bill, who has had a lot to say about FOI legislation over the years as 
it turns out:
 
"  The second-best way to abolish freedom of information legislation is to 
slowly chip away at it -- to slowly pull it apart piece by piece, clause 
by clause and word by word. That is exactly what the government has done 
since it came to office. From the start of the Kennett government's term 
in office it decided that it did not want to be scrutinised by Victorians, 
Parliament or the opposition. The Kennett government has slowly ripped 
apart freedom of information." 
Rob Hulls, 27 May 1999  www.parliament.vic.gov.au/hansard

Greg Barber, Sue Pennicuik and Colleen Hartland Greens MLCs

-- 
Greg Barber MLC
State Member of Parliament for Northern Metropolitan
Ph: (03) 9348 2622
Facs:  (03) 9348 2699
Suite G01, 60 Leicester Street Carlton 3053
www.electedgreensvictoria.org.au/


Freja Leonard
Electorate Officer to Greg Barber MLC
Suite G-01  60 Leicester Street  Carlton  VIC  3053
P:  03 9348 2622
F:  03 9348 2699
E:  freja.leonard at parliament.vic.gov.au
W: http://www.electedgreensvictoria.org.au/index.php 
 
The Office of Greg Barber MLC respectfully acknowledges that we sit on the 
traditional land of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation.  
Please consider the environment when deciding whether to print this 
email.  Thanks.
 



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