Post by Callum McMenamin

I 100% agree with former Ombudsman Sir Peter Boshier - the OIA needs reform, and agencies aren’t complying with it. We need actual penalties for non-compliance. It reminds me of another former Ombudsman’s report title - “It’s not a game of hide and seek”. They make a mountain out of a molehill. Supplying information when it exists isn’t actually that difficult or scary. We’re not (all) secret agents. A completely incorrect culture prevails, where agencies use every trick in the book to refuse requests, rather than defaulting to the assumption that information should be released. I’m an extensive user of the OIA. I have seen how agencies twist that Act to block me in my investigations. It needs change. https://lnkd.in/efz5AfYB