Freedom of Information and Privacy in Australia

Freedom of Information and Privacy in Australia

Author: Moira Paterson

Publisher:

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 611

ISBN-13: 9780409319958

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FREEDOM OF INFORMATION AND PRIVACY IN AUSTRALIA: GOVERNMENT AND INFORMATION ACCESS IN THE MODERN STATE provides a clear exposition of the different legal regimes that govern access to, and amendment of, government information, including freedom of information laws, information privacy laws, health records laws and public records laws. It also provides an insightful analysis of their operation, having regard to their context within the 'modern state', an environment that is characterised by privatisation, deregulation and contracting-out and which has been transformed both by information technology and a post-September 11 preoccupation with national security. As well as providing detailed treatment of Commonwealth, New South Wales and Victorian laws, it also provides useful summaries of the legal regimes in other Australian jurisdictions. This well written book provides a reliable reference for public sector decision-makers who are required to make access decisions and for lawyers, accountants and others who provide advice about FOI and privacy laws. It is also a valuable resource for students, journalists and public interest groups.


Troubling Transparency

Troubling Transparency

Author: David E. Pozen

Publisher: Columbia University Press

Published: 2018-08-07

Total Pages: 329

ISBN-13: 0231545800

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Today, transparency is a widely heralded value, and the U.S. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is often held up as one of the transparency movement’s canonical achievements. Yet while many view the law as a powerful tool for journalists, activists, and ordinary citizens to pursue the public good, FOIA is beset by massive backlogs, and corporations and the powerful have become adept at using it for their own interests. Close observers of laws like FOIA have begun to question whether these laws interfere with good governance, display a deleterious anti-public-sector bias, or are otherwise inadequate for the twenty-first century’s challenges. Troubling Transparency brings together leading scholars from different disciplines to analyze freedom of information policies in the United States and abroad—how they are working, how they are failing, and how they might be improved. Contributors investigate the creation of FOIA; its day-to-day uses and limitations for the news media and for corporate and citizen requesters; its impact on government agencies; its global influence; recent alternatives to the FOIA model raised by the emergence of “open data” and other approaches to transparency; and the theoretical underpinnings of FOIA and the right to know. In addition to examining the mixed legacy and effectiveness of FOIA, contributors debate how best to move forward to improve access to information and government functioning. Neither romanticizing FOIA nor downplaying its real and symbolic achievements, Troubling Transparency is a timely and comprehensive consideration of laws such as FOIA and the larger project of open government, with wide-ranging lessons for journalism, law, government, and civil society.


The politics of freedom of information

The politics of freedom of information

Author: Ben Worthy

Publisher: Manchester University Press

Published: 2017-02-10

Total Pages: 357

ISBN-13: 1526108526

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Why do governments pass freedom of information laws? The symbolic power and force surrounding FOI makes it appealing as an electoral promise but hard to disengage from once in power. However, behind closed doors compromises and manoeuvres ensure that bold policies are seriously weakened before they reach the statute book. The politics of freedom of information examines how Tony Blair's government proposed a radical FOI law only to back down in fear of what it would do. But FOI survived, in part due to the government's reluctance to be seen to reject a law that spoke of 'freedom', 'information' and 'rights'. After comparing the British experience with the difficult development of FOI in Australia, India and the United States – and the rather different cases of Ireland and New Zealand – the book concludes by looking at how the disruptive, dynamic and democratic effects of FOI laws continue to cause controversy once in operation.


The Right to Privacy

The Right to Privacy

Author: Samuel D. Brandeis, Louis D. Warren

Publisher: BoD – Books on Demand

Published: 2018-04-05

Total Pages: 42

ISBN-13: 3732645487

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Reproduction of the original: The Right to Privacy by Samuel D. Warren, Louis D. Brandeis


Global Survey on Internet Privacy and Freedom of Expression

Global Survey on Internet Privacy and Freedom of Expression

Author: Toby Mendel

Publisher: UNESCO

Published: 2012-01-01

Total Pages: 144

ISBN-13: 9231042416

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"This publication seeks to identify the relationship between freedom of expression and Internet privacy, assessing where they support or compete with each other in different circumstances. The book maps out the issues in the current regulatory landscape of Internet privacy from the viewpoint of freedom of expression. It provides an overview of legal protection, self-regulatory guidelines, normative challenges, and case studies relating to the topic. With this publication UNESCO aims to provide its Member States and other stakeholders, national and international, with a useful reference tool containing up-to-date and sharp information on emerging issues relevant to both developed and developing countries. Multiple stakeholders, preferably in dialogue, can use it in their own spheres of operation, adapting where appropriate from the range of experiences as recorded in these pages. The publication also supplies additional sources of reference for interested readers to use to further investigate each of the subjects highlighted. The publication explores a range of issues, such as: (1) threats to privacy that have developed through the Internet, (2) international legal standards on privacy and responses to these emerging issues, (3) complex intersections between the rights to privacy and freedom of expression, (4) UNESCO recommendations to states and corporations for better practice, (5) overview of literature, background material and tools on international and national policy and practice on privacy and freedom of expression on the Internet. In the coming years, UNESCO will specifically seek to disseminate information about good practices and international collaboration concerning the points of intersection between freedom of expression and privacy. Research on safeguarding the principle of freedom of expression in Internet policy across a range of issues will continue to be part of UNESCO's normative mandate and technical advice to stakeholders."--Publisher's description


The World Factbook 2003

The World Factbook 2003

Author: United States. Central Intelligence Agency

Publisher: Potomac Books

Published: 2003

Total Pages: 712

ISBN-13: 9781574886412

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By intelligence officials for intelligent people


Legal Protection of Religious Freedom in Australia

Legal Protection of Religious Freedom in Australia

Author: Carolyn Maree Evans

Publisher:

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 253

ISBN-13: 9781862878136

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The role and place of religion in Australia has become more contested and controversial in recent years. This important new book examines the extent to which religious freedom is protected in Australian law and explores some of the many ways in which the law and religion intersect. Through a series of case studies, Evans demonstrates the complex nature of the regulation of religion and the difficulties in reconciling competing claims from those who argue that religion is under attack and those who argue that religion is given too much power to undermine the rights of others. In a balanced and insightful manner, Evans explains the legal dimension to issues such as the religious vilification laws, the extent to which religious organizations are bound by discrimination laws, and the use of oaths in courtrooms. Evans brings together into a single volume, a wealth of information and insight that will appeal both to professional who need to deal with religious issues in a legal context and also the reader who is interested in the role of religion in Australian law and society.