FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (14:40): Arising from the answer, can the minister explain why it can take up to two working days for the Premier's and ministers' media releases to be loaded onto the website?

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY (Minister for Mineral Resources Development, Minister for Urban Development and Planning, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister Assisting the Premier in Public Sector Management) (14:40): I will endeavour to find out why that happens. I imagine that it is to do with the availability of staff. We get complaints from members opposite about how many staff there are in areas, but look at the bill: the total FOI bill has gone from $1.7 million to $6.5 million—one reason why governments have to restrict other areas because of the growing demand in this area. As I said, there are far more people involved at a far greater cost in providing this information because there are far more requests (by members of parliament, for example)—twice as many per head of population than anywhere else in the country—because we have such generous laws here in relation to cost.

We do not apologise for the fact that we have changed the laws to make information more readily available. It is much easier than it was when we came to government. It is a bit of a joke when we hear the Hon. Mr Lucas interject when we remember that we had the chief of the premier's staff sorting out these documents. That has long ended under this government, where we have accredited freedom of information officers who look at it. As to why the Premier's press releases, on some occasions, take longer to put up, I imagine it is a matter of the availability of the website.

I do not look at the opposition's website very often but, when I have heard that something is on it, I have noticed that sometimes it can take weeks for things to get up there. In fact, they have the interesting combination where on their website they have federal and state—they do not even distinguish between state and federal websites. I will seek to get an answer for the honourable member.