Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the Freedom of Information Amendment (Parliamentary Budget Office) Bill 2012. The Labor Party does not have a clean record when it comes to freedom of information requests. I know this in particular from my own portfolio of immigration. The Office of the Information Commissioner released earlier this month a scathing report into the immigration department's handling of FOI requests under this government's watch, indicating a culture of cover-up and interference by the government. This report exposes Labor's claim of open and transparent government as a fraud. The current Prime Minister's promise to 'let the sunshine in' is about as hollow as the promise that there would be no carbon tax under a government that she leads. The report also raises serious concern within the department about giving the minister a so-called heads-up about what information is being released before making a final decision on an FOI request. This might be how it is done in Sussex Street in New South Wales but it is not how things should operate in an executive government or before this parliament.

Mr Bradbury interjecting—

The minister at the table would know all about what happens at Sussex Street. He has been the beneficiary of this—

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