Senator O'BRIEN —My question is to Senator Hill, representing the Prime Minister. Can the minister explain how the government's refusal to release the reasons ministers chose to override departmental advice in relation to 16 of the 60 successful Federation Cultural and Heritage Projects Program projects, or even to identify those 16 projects, is consistent with the Auditor-General's requirements that:

. . . reasons for decisions and recommendations . . . should be accessible under Freedom of Information provisions—

and that—

. . . decisions in relation to the approval or refusal of applications for grants are transparent and well-documented.

Senator HILL (Environment and Heritage) —Yes, we use as part of our guidance in these matters the Freedom of Information Act.

Senator Bolkus —Guidance?

Senator HILL —Yes, when ministers are asked questions as to what they believe should be released or not. In any event, in this matter, it was overtaken by Senator Faulkner taking formal process under the Freedom of Information Act. The reasons for which certain information was declined have been given to Senator Faulkner in full, and I suggest you get a copy of those reasons from him.

Senator O'BRIEN —Madam President, I ask a supplementary question. I note that the minister chose not to address the part of the question that went to the recommendations of the Auditor-General, which were the nub of the question—not the Freedom of Information Act. I ask the minister: what else do the terms that the Auditor-General used—that is, the terms `accessible' and `transparent'—mean if they do not encompass availability for parliamentary or public scrutiny?

Senator HILL (Environment and Heritage) —All public availability is subject to limits. We are a government that supports transparency. We believe in open government. I think, fairly, we could be said to provide a great deal of information, and certainly a lot more than our predecessor. But the Auditor-General's guidance is in fact addressed in greater detail under the Freedom of Information Act, and what I said to the honourable senator is that we use that act to give us assistance in interpreting the Auditor-General's requirements. That is what happened in this particular instance.