Acting Premier Terry Lister told ombudsmen from around the world yesterday that introducing public access to information legislation in Bermuda would "further strengthen our democracy".

The Energy, Telecommunications and eCommerce Minister took the opportunity to address delegates at the Caribbean Ombudsman Association's (CAROA) regional conference on the topic of open government.

Mr. Lister, opening the event at the Fairmont Hamilton, said his Government sought to achieve high standards of government with laws such as the Ombudsman Act 2004, which led to lawyer Arlene Brock being appointed to investigate complaints about the administrative actions of public bodies on behalf of taxpayers.

Mr. Lister said Government was now seeking experience and input from other jurisdictions on the best way to implement a public access to information (PATI) law. "We believe PATI will further strengthen our democracy in the same way that the Ombudsman has," he said.

The Royal Gazette's A Right To Know: Giving People Power campaign calls on Government to table a PATI bill — first promised in the 2003 Throne Speech — in parliament this year. Premier Ewart Brown recently described our campaign as one without opposition. In a welcome letter to all conference delegates, who have come from as far afield as South Africa and Denmark, he wrote:

"Our Government has a history of policies and plans designed to take our country toward greater transparency in governance. We introduced the Office of Ombudsman in 2001 and later enacted pioneering legislation for the newly created independent agency.

"Shortly after that achievement we began the process of bringing public access to information legislation to the people of Bermuda. Our Government has spent nearly ten years in leadership and our record on issues of transparency is clear and continuing."

Dr. Brown has refused to give a time frame for when PATI will be introduced and Mr. Lister also failed to provide a date yesterday.

The theme of the CAROA conference, which Bermuda is hosting for the first time, is Foundations of Good Governance — Sharing Best Practices. PATI — also known as freedom of information — is due to be discussed by delegates tomorrow (Wednesday) but the session is closed to the press and public.

The conference heard yesterday from Baroness Rennie Fritchie, the former UK Commissioner for Public Appointments, on Ethics in the Public Sector.

She talked about the good intentions of the majority of people working in the public sector but said there were always some "bad apples".

"In the UK, the press gives a great deal of publicity to the failings of one or two of those bad apples; absolutely right too," she said.

The House of Lords cross-bench life peer added that the overriding duty of the press was to maintain the health of a liberal democracy but that should not give way to corrosive cynicism and partisanship.

Emphasising the importance of openness and accountability in government, she said withholding information on the grounds that the press would seize upon it and at times amplify events was unjustified. "I think it's a poor argument to say we shouldn't be open in case this happens," she said.

Ann Abraham, the UK Parliamentary Ombudsman, also touched on open government in her presentation: Principles of Good Administration.

"There is the need to be open and accountable, about policies and procedures, about the reason for decisions, and about the information held on citizens," she said.

"And there is the associated need too to keep proper records and accept responsibility for actions taken. In short, this is about transparency."

Keynote speaker Olara Otunnu, the World's Children's Ombudsman and former United Nations undersecretary, told the ombudsmen that corruption flourished where there was no accountability and that their role was key to ensuring an "effective rule of law regime".

"So much turns on this because without the rule of law there is no good government," he said.