Watching Big Brother

BY LIZ CUSH

We all know Big Brother is watching us, but what will happen if we stare right back?

The creation of the a new independent government agency in NSW, with a rather Orwellian-sounding name – the Information and Privacy Commission, is supposed to make it easier for us to watch Big Brother.

The new Government Information Public Access Act came into effect last July and at the same time combined the Privacy Commissioner and the Information Commissioner into one new super office, the Information and Privacy Commission. While the two functions seem to pull in opposite directions, the head of the IPC, Information Commissioner Deirdre O’Donnell says the combination strikes the right balance.

The new IPC and its website were launched officially last week, but Ms O’Donnell believes that already in NSW, government information is more readily available since the commencement of the act.

“Under this new legislation, the only reason for not making information available basically is public interest,” Ms O’Donnell told the City Hub.

“So it’s not about embarrassment, it’s not about I will look dumb if you see what I’ve decided.

It is whether it is in the public interest that this information be made publicly available, and that is often a strong objective for investigative journalists.”

Ms O’Donnell gave examples of results of blood alcohol tests for public transport drivers being made available on Sydney Ferries website as an example of where the new act has prompted an increase in transparency. Also more data from public hospitals and other government agencies is supposed to be accessible.

“Another example is local councils putting all contracts that they award on their website because it shows the ratepayers where public money is going. Under the act there is a threshold of $150,000 above which you have to declare, but ratepayers want to know where councils are spending $5000 or $10000 to see if it is always going to the same person,” Ms O’Donnell said.