Same old Labor still hiding answers
The Gillard Government is proving just as secretive and unaccountable as the Rudd Government, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment Simon Birmingham said today, especially on climate change where they have failed to answer a single Senate Estimates question on notice in four months.
“Just days away from next week’s round of Senate Estimates, there remains a mountain of questions from the last round of Estimates in May and June that still haven’t been answered,” Senator Birmingham said.
“According to figures circulated today by the Clerk of the Senate*, 1152 questions on notice remain unanswered, which is more than a third of the 3190 questions asked earlier this year despite a due date of 31 July for answers.
“The record is particularly shocking in the appallingly mismanaged Climate Change and Energy Efficiency portfolio, where all 126 questions on notice remain unanswered.
“This is the portfolio of the Home Insulation and Green Loans disasters, as well as surplus staff that were engaged to implement the Government’s rejected emissions trading scheme. There are no shortages of questions for this department, but there is a very serious shortage of answers from this Labor Government.
“It’s appalling even that the Government kept these answers secret prior to the election, but the failure even now to provide answers in a timely fashion directly contradicts Ms Gillard’s post-election claims of greater accountability.
“I've heard the message loud and clear. People do want to see us more open, more accountable, more transparent. I am going to be held to higher standards of accountability than any Prime Minister in the modern age. I'm well aware of that, and I'm going to focus on being up to that challenge.”
Julia Gillard, ABC TV, 7 September 2010
“Rather than being ‘more open, more accountable, more transparent’ Julia Gillard is setting new standards for evasiveness and secrecy.
“The Government’s tardiness in providing Estimates answers last time around prompted me to raise the matter with the Chair of the Senate’s Procedures Committee, Senator Alan Ferguson**, and the Government’s performance.
“Senate Estimates is an important means of scrutinising the Government and keeping it accountable, but its failure to provide answers in a timely fashion makes it difficult for Senators to perform this function effectively on behalf of the Australian taxpayer.”
*Statistics below, as circulated
**A copy of Senator Birmingham’s 5 May 2010 letter can be provided upon request.
COB Monday, 11 October 2010
|
COMMITTEE
|
NUMBER OF QUESTIONS LODGED
during
2010-11 Budget estimates
May/June 2010
|
ANSWERS OUTSTANDING
to questions lodged during 2010-11
Budget estimates May/June 2010
Monday, 11 October 2010
|
|
|
|
|
Community Affairs
|
|
|
|
Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs
|
248
|
169
|
|
Health and Ageing
|
361
|
103
|
|
Cross portfolio hearing
|
|
|
|
+Education, Employment and Workplace Relations
|
2
|
2
|
|
Human Services - Centrelink
|
1
|
Nil
|
|
Community Affairs total
|
612
|
274
|
|
|
|
|
Economics
|
|
|
|
Innovation, Industry, Science and Research
|
153
|
Nil
|
|
Resources, Energy and Tourism
|
48
|
Nil
|
|
Treasury
|
415
|
109
|
|
Economics total
|
616
|
109
|
|
|
|
|
Education, Employment and Workplace Relations
|
|
|
|
Education, Employment and Workplace Relations
|
402
|
|
|
EEWR total
|
402
|
182
|
|
|
|
|
Environment and Communications
|
|
|
|
Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts
|
172
|
45
|
|
Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy
|
167
|
33
|
|
Climate Change and Energy Efficiency
|
126
|
126
|
|
EC total
|
465
|
204
|
|
|
|
|
Finance and Public Administration
|
|
|
|
Parliamentary departments
|
19
|
Nil
|
|
Prime Minister and Cabinet (+ agencies: excluding Climate Change)
|
101
|
Nil
|
|
Department of Climate Change
|
*has moved to ECA
|
|
|
Finance and Deregulation (+ agencies)
|
125
|
13
|
|
Human Services (+ agencies)
|
63
|
1
|
|
FPA total
|
308
|
14
|
|
|
|
|
Foreign Affairs, Defence & Trade
|
|
|
|
Defence
|
43
|
Nil
|
|
Veterans' Affairs
|
39
|
Nil
|
|
Defence Housing Australia
|
2
|
Nil
|
|
Foreign Affairs and Trade
|
43
|
Nil
|
|
Austrade
|
6
|
Nil
|
|
AusAID
|
31
|
Nil
|
|
ACIAR
|
4
|
Nil
|
|
EFIC
|
|
|
|
AJF
|
|
|
|
FADT total
|
168
|
Nil
|
|
|
|
|
Legal and Constitutional affairs
|
|
|
|
Attorney-General
|
114
|
Nil2
|
|
Immigration and Citizenship
|
136
|
Nil
|
|
Legal and Constitutional Affairs total
|
250
|
Nil
|
|
|
|
|
Rural Affairs and Transport
|
|
|
|
Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government
|
211
|
211
|
|
Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
|
158
|
158
|
|
RAT total
|
369
|
369
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total for committees
|
3190
|
1152
|
(a) a response that a department cannot provide an answer or will not provide an answer has been counted as an answer on the basis there is no longer a substantive answer still to come, but refusals to provide answers are separately identified;
(b) an advice that an answer will be provided but cannot be provided before the deadline for answers, or a partial answer with further information to come, is NOT counted as an answer, but such interim answers are separately identified.
2 L&CA: The responses provided by the AGs Portfolio included:
· a response from the AFP indicating that the information requested could not be provided as the AFP did not comment on operational methodologies or standard operating procedures in relation to close personal protection (QON 49);
· a response from the AFP indicating that the information could not be provided because Cabinet decisions are confidential to the governments that create them and any material that would reveal the National Security Committee of Cabinet's deliberations will not be disclosed (QON 52);
· a response from the AFP indicating that the information requested could not be provided as it would constitute an operational matter and it would not be appropriate to comment (QON 62); and
· an interim response from the AGD indicating that the information will be provided as soon as agreement of the relevant parties has been received (QON 71).
[1] The answers provided by DEEWR included three answers which did not substantively answer the questions asked but which have been counted as answers because no further answer will be forthcoming:
EW0080_11 – State and territory education departments declined to provide information on non-construction fees on the basis that to do so would require significant resources and also might breach ‘commercial in confidence’ provisions
EW0099_11 – The answer declined to provide requested legal advice, on the basis that it is subject to legal professional privilege and that release of the advice could adversely affect the Commonwealth’s dealings with the states.
EW0283_11 – FWA declined to provide an answer on the basis that do so is not administratively practical.