Integrity experts, academics and parliamentarians gather in Canberra today for the Australia Institute’s Transparency Summit: Secrecy is not security, held in collaboration with the Human Rights Law Centre, Whistleblower Justice Fund, Alliance for Journalists’ Freedom and Transparency International Australia.

The Transparency Summit connects those have been stonewalled – and explain why open government and public access to information is more important than ever in a world of AI-generated deepfakes, election denial and democratic backsliding.

Transparency Summit speakers include:

• Professor Allan Fels AO, Professor of Law, and Economics & Business, University of Melbourne and Monash University
• Senator David Pocock, Independent Senator for the Australian Capital Territory
• Senator David Shoebridge, Australian Greens Spokesperson for Justice and Senator for New South Wales
• Rex Patrick, Former Senator for South Australia
• Rawan Arraf, Executive Director and Principal Lawyer, Australian Centre for International Justice
• Professor Eleanor Bourke AM, Chair, Yoorrook Justice Commission
• Jake Blight, Independent National Security Legislation Monitor
• Mary Inman, Partner, Whistleblower Partners
• Isabelle Reinecke, Executive Director and Founder, Grata Fund
• Professor Peter Greste, Journalist and Professor of Journalism, Macquarie University
• Professor A J Brown AM, Chair, Transparency International Australia and Professor of Public Policy & Law, Griffith University
• Dr Richard Denniss, Executive Director, The Australia Institute

“A Whistleblower Protection Authority is decades overdue. Whistleblowers are the guardians of transparency who act out of a sense of duty, knowing the risks involved,” said David Pocock, Independent Senator for the ACT.

“If we fail to protect them, we are complicit in their suffering. We need to show that Australia values integrity and will stand by those who act in the public interest by backing this bill.”

“This summit comes at a time where sunlight is desperately needed in Canberra to enliven our democracy and restore community faith in politics,” said David Shoebridge, Greens Senator for NSW.

“With a government addicted to secrecy and key integrity bodies like the NACC not yet delivering much needed accountability there is much to do.”

“Australia has a huge opportunity to turn the corner in its recent, decade-long slide on international anti-corruption measures – with key steps like the new National Anti-Corruption Commission, improved foreign bribery laws, and anti-money-laundering reforms finally underway,” said Professor AJ Brown, Chair of Transparency International Australia.

“The time is right for all parties to follow through, in this parliament and the next, on the tough transparency issues that will really bring cultural change, shore up integrity in government, and ensure our leaders and institutions have the trust of the public they serve.”

“Unless journalists have the ability to access and protect confidential sources, their role as the whistle-of-last-resort collapses,” said Professor Peter Greste, Journalist and Professor of Journalism, Macquarie University.

“Both sides of politics have recognised the corrosive effect of a culture of secrecy on media freedom, accountability and transparency, but they’ve done nothing to fix the problem. The government needs to follow through with reforms that protect whistleblowers and sources, and journalists’ data from intrusive investigations. None of this is controversial. All the major parties have given their support in principle, and all they need to do is act.”

“Whistleblowers make Australia a better place. The Albanese Government promised to better protect whistleblowers, but time is running out,” said Kieran Pender, Acting Legal Director at the Human Rights Law Centre.

“We need reform before the end of this Parliament, and a firm commitment from both major parties to establish a Whistleblower Protection Authority in the next term.”

“A lack of transparency and integrity lies near the heart of every political issue facing Australia,” said Bill Browne, Director of the Australia Institute’s Democracy & Accountability Program.

“Wilful delays in freedom of information processing, the prosecution of whistleblowers, ignoring the Senate’s orders for documents and abuse of Cabinet secrecy are facets of the same problem: that governments find it useful to act in secrecy, and too often the media and civil society lets them get away with it.

“Just as questions of integrity came to define the 2022 election, transparency will be a key theme of the upcoming federal election.”