Clouds appear over Albanese’s promised transparency

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Editorial

December 30, 2025 — 5.00am

When he was opposition leader, Anthony Albanese set himself squarely against the secrecy of the Scott Morrison administration, promising a new era of open government and transparency if he ever came to power.

But nearly four years and an increased majority down the line, his government is gripped by inertia when it comes to responding to parliamentary reports.

Anthony Albanese and his cabinet have been accused of complacency and arrogance over unanswered report findings.

A surprisingly large total of 67 reports have been tabled but remain unaddressed by the government. Seventeen are overhangs from Coalition governments, 50 from the Labor era.

Bipartisan committees scrutinise legislation and research issues to help inform policy development before making recommendations to government. The government is required to respond to House and joint standing committee reports within six months, while Senate committee reports should be addressed within three.

Only four reports were responded to in full and on time in the year to November 21, 2025, including a cybersecurity legislative package and a transport sector security amendment. Since the May federal election, only one report has been tabled – into strengthening oversight of the national intelligence committee – after it was revealed in October that most Labor MPs who got a $26,000 pay bump to run house committees had not launched inquiries since being appointed.

The government’s continuing inaction, including its sitting on the findings of the bipartisan report You win some, you lose more has cast doubts on its transparency credentials. This report recommended a ban on gambling advertisements following an inquiry into whether the regulatory framework for online gambling and gambling advertising in Australia was fit for purpose and meeting community expectations. It has sat unanswered for two and a half years.

Other ignored reports include the development of a comprehensive plan to ensure Australian food security, and an expansion of protections for victims of financial abuse.

That said, the Albanese government inherited a swag of parliamentary reports from Coalition governments and since 2022, it has answered 172.

Of course, governments are not bound to implement inquiry reports, but appearing to treat parliament with contempt sits badly against the heat Labor has taken on freedom of information, the National Anti-Corruption Commission, whistleblowers, jobs for the boys, the blowout in cases at the reformed Administrative Appeals Tribunal, and secrecy over the return of IS brides and their children.

However, there is also a sense of missed opportunity on at least one major issue thrust into stark reality in the shadow of the Bondi Beach killings.

The Herald’s Brittany Busch reported Labor had also not responded to recommendations from the parliamentary committee on human rights to improve the complaints process for antisemitism in universities. It has since been forced to establish an antisemitism education taskforce after the Bondi shooting.

Manager of opposition business Alex Hawke said Labor’s inertia was borne of complacency and arrogance and that it flew in the face of its own backbench on some issues.

Albanese’s widespread popularity has taken a hit after Bondi, but the unanswered parliamentary reports show that while he is out commenting on abused wombats and other trivia, there is much behind the scenes that he has not done.