Sage Eugenie: Offices of Parliament — Address to Governor-GeneralYear 2016/17Text is incorporated into the Bound VolumeSage Eugenie: Offices of Parliament — Address to Governor-GeneralYear 2016/17[Sitting date: 07 April 2016. Volume:712;Page:10325. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]EUGENIE SAGE (Green): Like the previous speaker Trevor Mallard I am extremely troubled by the comments of the Leader of the House. In this call I was going to congratulate the Officers of Parliament Committee on finally responding to the request from the Office of the Ombudsmen for increased resources. I think the comprehensive review that the former Chief Ombudsman Dame Beverley Wakem did of twelve selected Government agencies a survey she did of Ministers’ offices and her look at how the Act was being implemented elsewhere showed that the major problem was not in the law itself the Official Information Act but in the way it was being implemented—its execution.My memory of the interview with the new Chief Ombudsman was that he was simply pointing out that there were people in Government agencies who are qualified in the law and therefore we are in a position to understand very clearly what the Official Information Act means and that that should assist in better execution of that Act. The Ombudsman is an independent Officer of Parliament. They are absolutely critical in providing openness and transparency in our democracy in balancing the rights of the citizen against the much larger powers of the State and in ensuring that Government Ministers and Government departments are accountable. I can only commend the work that the former Chief Ombudsman and the new Chief Ombudsman are doing in improving the way in which the Official Information Act is implemented.We have seen under this Government a 40 percent increase in complaints to the Office of the Ombudsmen because as the review that Dame Beverley did showed there were major problems in the way that the Act was being implemented. Agencies were leaving it to the last minute taking the full 20 days before they released information and claiming extensions. We have seen that there are often when we make requests large areas of blacked-out text—redactions—but now we have seen agencies like the Reserve Bank and local councils charging requesters for information knowing very well that $200 or $300 or sometimes even more to provide information will create a significant barrier to getting that information and to calling the Government agency to account.The Northland Environmental Protection Society which is trying to hold the Ministry for Primary Industries to account for the way in which it is operating under the forests Act for the major exports of ancient swamp kauri which are potentially contrary to that Act had to go to the High Court to get the High Court to adjudicate that the Ministry for Primary Industries should release emails and other information. The Official Information Act is critical to our democracy so the work that the Office of the Ombudsmen is doing to improve compliance with the Act is important for a much more effective democracy.Parliament is being asked to recommend I think a $2.3 million or a $2.6 million increase in the budget of the office. The Chief Ombudsman provided the select committee with a very detailed analysis of where the extra money was required. Funding is needed for some additional investigators to get on top of the backlog of I think about 600 requests that have been with the office for more than a year and sometimes for up to 6 years. It is commendable that the office is seeking to deal with that backlog so it can go and do more of the types of reviews that Dame Beverly initiated—so that it can be proactive rather than always being reactive.If we do not have the work of the office being adequately resourced then the sorts of practices that came to light in the review become systemic and that undermines public trust in Government agencies and their administration of the law. It is in all of our interests for the Government to be accountable and to be transparent because that encourages public confidence. I am deeply troubled by the Leader of the House’s comments and I think the select committee should be congratulated on its work in making this recommendation for increased funding which the Green Party is very happy to support.