How is open and transparent going?

Shane Cowlishaw writes:

As we enter the second half of the Government’s first year in office, can it claim to be the more open and transparent regime it promised to be?

So far, no way.

What a surprise.

Earlier this week, the Council for Civil Liberties put out a disappointed press release noting that Justice Minister Andrew Little had written a letter ruling out a review of the OIA.

In response, the Government is excusing itself by claiming it never promised legislative change.

Technically, that may be true. But until recently, some of them were certainly for it.

Back in December, Clare Curran, who is responsible for creating a more open and transparent government, told Newsroom that she would review the act alongside Little.

She also supported giving the Ombudsman the power to issue fines for breaches of the act, a measure that was promoted by Labour in a short-lived member’s bill.

Asked this week whether he supported the idea, Little said no.

They only supported it when it didn’t apply to them.