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Ministerial Foreword

I am very pleased to release Australia’s second Open Government National Action Plan. The completion of this Plan, which involved a co-design process between Government,

members of the Open Government Forum and civil society has been an excellent example of the community and the Government working in a truly collaborative way in the design
of public policy. I particularly wish to thank members of the Open Government Forum and the public who gave up their time and provided valuable advice to help deliver a National Action Plan worthy of Australia’s strong reputation for open and accountable government. 
 

Australia’s second National Action Plan, which covers the period 2018-20, promises to further enhance citizen’s access to information, civic participation, public accountability, as well as technology and innovation for openness and accountability. Building on the success of the first plan, this second plan is comprised of a more targeted and focused set of commitments which seeks to find new and innovative ways to ways to build greater openness and transparency into citizen’s everyday interaction with government. Alongside initiatives to strengthen anti-corruption and to enhance electoral transparency, this new plan includes a number of new initiatives to ensure government is able to deliver better and more transparent outcomes for the Australian community. For example:

  • exploring ways the Government and the public service can adopt more place-based approach in its work;
  • involving the states and territories in the promotion of OGP values and principles; and
  • enhancing the ability for the public to engage in the work of the public service.

Australia has been a member of the Open Government Partnership since 2015 and since then, we have taken great strides to improve tansparency, accountability and public engagement in many facets of government. I am confident that this second National Action Plan will help to continue this this trend and reinforce Australia’s position as a global leader in the field of openness and accountability.

Thank you again to all who worked to develop this plan. I look forward to continuing to work with civil society to promote the commitments in this plan and to further strengthen OGP principles and practices in the Australian Government.

 

Senator the Hon Mathias Cormann

Minister for Finance and the Public Service