Ele Ludemann: Stiffer penalties needed for OIA delays

Outgoing Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier has released a report on the Official Information Act which shows says stiffer penalties may be needed for government agencies that persistently delay the release of official information:

Sir Bob Jones: The Chief Ombudsman

Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier having reached the compulsory retirement age of 72 and formally retired as he’s obliged to do, has now been asked by the government to carry on in the interim, which he’s delighted to do.

Being an Ombudsman can be a contentious role, as we’ve seen from time to time with the banking and insurance Ombudsmen’s verdicts. But to the best of my knowledge, not a single Boshier verdict has ever been contentious, despite his wide-spanning brief.

Bryce Edwards: Public sector bosses must be held accountable for undermining transparency

Public service bosses earn mega-salaries, yet oversee bureaucracies that frequently undermine transparency and frustrate public and media scrutiny. The obvious answer is to start docking the pay of chief executives for the failures of their agencies.

This is the upshot of an investigation by the Chief Ombudsman’s Office into the performance of government departments in releasing public information under the Official Information Act (OIA). The Chief Ombudsman, Peter Boshier, found that although there are some things to celebrate about how agencies are fulfilling their obligations under the OIA, there are also very concerning ways information is being illegally buried or constrained.