Australia's FOI laws upheld by two men working from home

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[Facilitator's note: Thank you to Charmaine Rodrigues, UNDP New York, for sharing this information.]

Australia’s freedom of information watchdog is working from home, after the government’s plans to abolish his role stalled in the Senate. The commissioner’s Canberra office has closed, after the government announced plans to abolish it. Under a bill introduced to parliament, freedom of information (FOI) appeals would go straight to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) and complaints would go to the Commonwealth Ombudsman. But the government did not pass the bill before the sitting year ended.

Read the story by Paul Farrell in The Guardian. http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2014/dec/11/freedom-of-information-laws-upheld-by-one-man-working-from-home

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