5a What is Transparency? Australian FOI Practitioner Perspectives
Tracks
Practice and Identity
| Tuesday, October 18, 2022 |
| 1:15 PM - 2:45 PM |
Presentation Type
Traditional Paper -- Moderator: Dr Eva Samaras
Session Information
Expanding Roles: The role of the professional archivist in the modern records environment must inevitably change if the archivist is to remain relevant for current and future business practices. Equally importantly are current and future expectations of the community for records. Session 5 will consider the following aspects of records and archives: are archivists - and in what ways - still conceptually driven by paper-based concepts; where data and records are being collected electronically by automated systems, how can such processes be managed legally and fairly; and not all FOI practitioners are archivists and this 'outsidership' leads to questions and issues for the archivist.
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Ms Lauren Gray
Chief of Records and Archives
World Trade Organisation, Geneva Switzerland
What is Transparency? Australian FOI Practitioner Perspectives
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Situated within an Australian context, and embracing the ASA National Conference theme ‘Here We Are’ this paper will describe and evaluate the responses of seventeen Australian Freedom of Information (FOI) Practitioners to the question: Can you provide your own working definition of the concept of “transparency?” Practitioners included current and former Information Commissioners and practicing FOI Coordinators, who were interviewed in 2019 and 2020.
This original qualitative study concentrates on the perspective of FOI practitioners, which is not commonly used as sources of knowledge in scholarly research. My one-on-one interviews with the practitioners were highly detailed, granular, and focused on the invaluable intrinsic practitioner’s perspective on the concept of transparency. Some of these interviews were undertaken before the onset of the global pandemic, and some interviews were undertaken during the initial stages of Covid-19 in Australia.
All seventeen FOI Practitioners interviewed for this study, were able to skilfully discuss at length the concept of transparency. Through these discussions, eight themes emerged from the data, which will be presented in this paper. These themes of transparency will be examined and include: the fundamental right of the Australian people to access government information, visibility and ‘seeing’ government’s information, and accountability as a concept closely associated with the concept of transparency.
In my discussion and analysis of these themes, I will draw upon my twenty years of professional experience in Archives, Records and FOI. My professional experience was instrumental in my ability to quickly forge a common dialogue with the FOI practitioners interviewed for this study. My professional experience and knowledge also enhanced my ability to analyse and interpret the interview data from both a practical and scholarly perspective. In addition, I will also draw on the pertinent scholarly research to enrich the discussion on the complex and significant concept of transparency.
This original qualitative study concentrates on the perspective of FOI practitioners, which is not commonly used as sources of knowledge in scholarly research. My one-on-one interviews with the practitioners were highly detailed, granular, and focused on the invaluable intrinsic practitioner’s perspective on the concept of transparency. Some of these interviews were undertaken before the onset of the global pandemic, and some interviews were undertaken during the initial stages of Covid-19 in Australia.
All seventeen FOI Practitioners interviewed for this study, were able to skilfully discuss at length the concept of transparency. Through these discussions, eight themes emerged from the data, which will be presented in this paper. These themes of transparency will be examined and include: the fundamental right of the Australian people to access government information, visibility and ‘seeing’ government’s information, and accountability as a concept closely associated with the concept of transparency.
In my discussion and analysis of these themes, I will draw upon my twenty years of professional experience in Archives, Records and FOI. My professional experience was instrumental in my ability to quickly forge a common dialogue with the FOI practitioners interviewed for this study. My professional experience and knowledge also enhanced my ability to analyse and interpret the interview data from both a practical and scholarly perspective. In addition, I will also draw on the pertinent scholarly research to enrich the discussion on the complex and significant concept of transparency.
