On 18 December 2024, the Honourable Jeremy Rockliff MP Premier of Tasmania appointed Professor Tim McCormack and Adjunct Associate Professor Rick Snell to conduct an independent review into Tasmania’s Right to Information system and to submit a final report by 30 June 2025.
See Terms of Reference (PDF, 224KB)
The Terms of Reference require the Reviewers to:
The Reviewers:
As an initial step the Reviewers are seeking feedback and comment on the Suggestions and Proposed Solutions presented in Section 10 of the Right to Information Uplift Project Steering Committee’s Discussion Paper 4.1.
The Reviewers note that while the Uplift Project Discussion Paper focuses on administrative reforms and does not cover potential legislative changes, feedback to the independent review is encouraged on all possible changes and improvements that you consider important, including legislation.
The Reviewers encourage comment on ideas and proposals presented in other reviews such as those by The Tasmanian Integrity Commission and from other jurisdictions.
The independent Right to Information Framework Reviewers, Professor Tim McCormack and Associate Professor Rick Snell, invite you to make a submission to this important review.
Please read the information below, which has been provided by the reviewers.
A submission is a response from a person or organisation, stating their views about the law and processes under review. A submission may include personal experiences and ideas about how the law and/or processes for implementation of the law should change. Submissions will provide us with the information and opinions we need to write our final report and to make recommendations for reform.
There have been a number of reviews and reports about the operation of Tasmania’s Right to Information Act. We would encourage you to examine these reviews and use them to support your suggestions.
Please make yourself familiar with our Terms of Reference (PDF, 224KB) so your submission can be as helpful as possible.
All contributions are welcome, large or small.
We are required to make our Final Report by the end of June 2025 so it would be helpful if submissions are made before the end of April 2025. Please make a submission as soon as possible to help develop our ideas and our understanding. You are welcome to later submit a revised submission if you have further ideas or information you would like us to consider before the end of April.
You may send us your submission electronically or in hard copy. You can send us your ideas in a Word document, a pdf file, or in the body of the email. You can also then make your submission by an online meeting platform, or in person, either individually or as part of a group.
Please send your submission to:
Electronic submissions (preferred) tasrti.review@gmail.com
Hard copy submissions:
(Independent RTI Framework Review | c/- OTS)
GPO Box 123
Hobart Tas 7001
We will be conducting a series of face-to-face interviews and round table forums around the state and if you would like to meet with us in person please use the above email address.
We prefer you to focus on how we can improve the RTI Act and/or the way it should be administrated in the future. However, we also want to hear about your previous experiences with the Act either as a citizen or as an official.
Submissions do not have to follow a particular format. You can provide as much detail as you like – the more the better, as long as it is relevant.
We will read all submissions to inform our Report and its recommendations.
When making a submission you must state clearly which level of privacy you prefer for all or parts of your submission from these categories: (1) public, (2) anonymous, or (3) confidential. Where indicating your preferred level of privacy as confidential, please provide reasons for this.
Unless you indicate clearly your submission is to be treated as confidential, all submissions will be treated as public information and published on the Department of Premier and Cabinet’s website in accordance with the Tasmanian Government’s Public Submission Policy.
Submissions will be published after consideration by Government.
We will refer to public submissions in our reports, and we may list the names of submitters who choose the public option in the final report.
We will publish public submissions on our website. This is to encourage discussion and to keep the community informed. Confidential and anonymous submissions are not published on the website but are not treated as any less important than public ones.
We will remove these items from submissions before they are published on the website:
1. Personal residential addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers;
2. Derogatory or offensive language;
3. Comments impugning the personal character and/or professional reputation of individuals and organisations;
4. Disclosure of legally restricted or confidential information;
5. Any other materials prohibited by law.
The views expressed in submissions are those of the individuals or organisations who submit them. The fact that we publish a submission does not imply that the Reviewers accept or agree with these views.
| Submission | Name | Organisation |
|---|---|---|
| Submission 1 | Adam Holmes | |
| Submission 2 | Bob Burton | |
| Submission 3 | Cassy O'Connor | Tasmanian Greens |
| Submission 4 | David Killick | |
| Submission 5 | James Johnson | Environmental Defenders Office |
| Submission 6 | Catherine Murdoch | Environmental Protection Authority |
| Submission 7 | Hydro Tasmania | |
| Submission 8 | Robert Hogan | |
| Submission 9 | Adrienne Piccone | Tasmania Council of Social Service (TasCOSS) |
| Submission 10 | Angie Somann-Crawford | TasPorts |
| Submission 11 | Susannah Windsor | University of Tasmania |
| Submission 12 | Phoebe Winter | |
| Submission 13 | UTAS Faculty of Law RTI Training Project Team |
Uplift Project Tasmania Discussion Paper 4.1 23 September 2024.
Commission of Inquiry Final Report
Tasmanian Ombudsman Annual Reports
The Culture of Implementing Freedom of Information in Australia Monash University June 2024.