On closed-door decisions

It's definitely worth pointing out that Rob Nicholson has rejected the consensus (among the opposition parties as well as past Information Commissioners) that the Access to Information Act should serve to actually enable the flow of information rather than providing cover for the Cons' habitual secrecy. But while the latest reporting has focused on the latest round of sparring over a set of committee recommendations, it's worth keeping in mind that the Cons themselves promised exactly what they're now trying to avoid:

The Conservative pledge to implement the Information Commissioner's recommendations to reform the Access to Information Act -- which included a duty for public servants to document their decisions and a public interest injury test on information considered exempt -- was dropped quietly when the government eventually tabled its Federal Accountability Act.

As one government insider said: "The bureaucrats pushed back hard on that stuff and appealed to the Prime Minister's secrecy tendency."

Which means that the goes far beyond merely a disagreement between the parties today. Instead, the Cons' complete rejection of any attempt to shine some light into the darker corners of the federal government also reflects a broken promise that makes a mockery of the Cons' now-laughable claim to value openness and accountability. And as always, that kind of obstructionism offers nothing but reason for suspicion about what they're keeping hidden.