Rise in OIAs reveals inadequacies

Newspaper readers will have recently noticed the huge increase in national level Official Information Act (OIA) requests that are exposing worrying omissions and serious inadequacies.

Alarmingly, such information often signals longer-term repercussions, not just for the economy, transport, infrastructure, judicial and community oversights, but also deficiencies in health, welfare and poverty, safety and social provision. The OIA is a critical accountability mechanism to expose failures and is the basis upon which Parliament, but also concerned citizens and organisations, may scrutinise how national decisions are taken.

It highlights failures that would otherwise be buried. Backbench ‘‘patsy’’ questions in the House are the complete useless antithesis of this need.

The expanded need for such requests exposes an alarmingly apparent shallowness on the part of officials and the inexperience and naivety of many on the benches of power.

The role of the Opposition, but also the press gallery, is to probe such inadequacies and expose over-promising populism, the realities of under-delivering and lack of provision. Such occurrences are increasingly a daily norm with regular offenders. Those responsible clearly believe the wider public can forever be ‘‘hoodwinked’’ by unkept promises, pervasive kindness and be treated to spin.

Furthermore, apart from the inadequate scoping of measures, there are ministers who, after half a governmental term in office, have yet to put up any significant portfolio papers to Cabinet, and in proclaiming to be spokespersons on all and sundry issues, comfortably stick to slogans and deliver only obfuscation whilst blaming others. Murray Jaspers, Wellington