George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

I want to begin with the speech of the Governor-General. In this chamber, at the opening of the 42nd Parliament, on 12 February 2008, when His Excellency, in announcing the historic occasion of the formation of and the priorities of a newly elected government, said this, under the heading ‘Governance and transparency’. He committed his government, the Rudd government, to this proposition:

Laws relating to government information will be enhanced by promoting a culture of disclosure and transparency.

Several weeks later, the Special Minister of State, Senator Faulkner, who has made a famous public reputation as an advocate of honest, open and accountable government, gave a speech to the 2020 Summit. I was there. This is what he said on 19 April 2008 in relation to the Rudd government’s attitude to parliamentary scrutiny, disclosure and transparency—