Australia's First Open Government National Action Plan 2016-18
The Law Council welcomes the opportunity to provide comment on the draft of Australia’s First Open Government National Action Plan 2016-18 (draft NAP).
The draft NAP sets out 14 Commitments and initial steps that the Government will take to achieve those Commitments with the aim of improving and building confidence in Australian institutions and democracy, and to uphold the principles in the Open Government Declaration.
The Law Council strongly supports the development of a NAP to increase transparency, openness, accountability and integrity in both the private and public sectors. Importantly, the NAP contemplates an ongoing program of consultation and engagement with civil society members. The Law Council encourages that process and looks forward to continued engagement particularly on issues of relevance to the Law Council, its Constituent Bodies, Sections and Advisory Committees.
The Law Council is encouraged by the commitment to advancing reform within the timeframes envisaged by the draft NAP. In recent years, reform has too frequently been stalled at the national level when implementation should have been possible. The Law Council trusts that the reform agenda is advanced within the proposed timeframes.
You can read the full submission below.