Fans of Douglas Adams’ A Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy will be familiar with the scene when Arthur Dent, protesting the imminent destruction of his home to make way for a by-pass, is told ‘the plans were on display”.
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“On display? I eventually had to go down to the cellar to find them.”
“That’s the display department.”
“With a flashlight.”
“Ah, well, the lights had probably gone.”
“So had the stairs.”
“But look, you found the notice, didn’t you?”
“Yes,” said Arthur, “yes I did. It was on display in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying ‘Beware of the Leopard’.”
Mid-Western Region residents seeking a copy of the ICAC report on the Mid-Western Regional Council investigation will empathise with Arthur Dent.
Having been advised that the application to access the report was available on council’s website, they had to go through a labyrinthine process to find it, including scrolling through council’s access to information policy document.
Having filled in the form and posted or hand-delivered it to council with $30 fee, the applicant could then settle down to await council’s prompt response.
Early applicants this week received advice that since the report contains information about persons that is personal information, or concerns business, commercial, professional or financial interests, these people “may reasonably be expected to have concerns about the disclosure of information of the kind”.
Under the GIPA (Government Information Public Access) Act, council is required to consult with these people about the “possible release” of that information. Council is required to take any objections into account when determining whether there is an overriding public interest in disclosing information.
The end result is, that applicants can expect a decision on their application by around December 9-10, unless the objectors appeal to the NSW Civil and Administrative appeal.
While the process, designed to protect council from legal repercussions, complies with the letter of the law, residents eager to view the report are understandably frustrated with the process, especially from a new council which promised “transparency and accountability”.
