AG, Graham Leung

Over 30 bills are currently under review by the Attorney-General’s Office.

This has been revealed by AG Graham Leung who says it includes legislation such as the Electoral Act, the Political Parties Act, and even the 2013 Constitution.

Leung says the delay in implementing the Freedom of Information Bill is due to the complexity of these ongoing legislative matters.

He adds that experts have identified gaps in existing laws and the proposed policy changes can require amendments.

These changes, he says, if approved by the Cabinet, will need to be passed by Parliament before becoming law.

“So, this will have to join the queue but I am committed, together with the support of the Law Reform Commission to have this legislation enacted and operationalized by the first quarter of 2025.”

Leung says the Freedom of Information Bill is part of a busy legislative agenda. With 30 bills pending, it will take time for all of them to be addressed.

He says while the bill will need to wait its turn, he remains committed to having it enacted and fully operational by the first quarter of 2025.

Although the timeline is aspirational, Leung is confident in meeting the goal with the support of partners such as the Law Reform Commission and civil society organizations like the Fiji Council of Social Services and UNESCO.

FCOSS Executive Director Vani Catanasiga has pointed out the importance of access to information for communities affected by climate change and natural disasters.

Since 2021, she says FCOSS has been developing a tool to assess the openness of government data.

“We’ve done about assessments of seven government agencies to tell them these aspects of your communications and community engagement services need to improve so that we can recover from the disaster that we’ve just gone through.”

Catanasiga adds that many communities face delays in recovering from disasters due to a lack of access to government information on available relief services.