Australian State Railroad
Blacks Out Safety Reports
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
The state-owned train company that services New South Wales and Australia’s most populous city is refusing to turn over safety records to Australian newspapers, citing security.
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“RailCorp stands by its decision not to release information that amounts to a how-to manual for individuals wanting to destroy a structure in Sydney’s CBD (Central Business District) and pose serious danger to passengers and staff,” RailCorp CEO Vince Graham told the Fairfax Media, the largest newspaper group in Australia. Fairfax publishes The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, The Australian Financial Review, BRW (business magazine), and The Sun-Herald, according to their web site, www.fxj.com.au.
Fairfax had filed a Freedom of Information (FOI) request for the safety reports two years ago. Reports were turned over, but much of the information was blacked out, the Australian Associated Press reported Wednesday (March 21, 2007).
The censored information mainly dealt with 60 large structures over train rails, such as buildings, bridges and parking garages, and what would happen if there was a derailment at those locations, the Australian Associated Press reported.
Australian reporters have complained that the country’s FOIA law is weak. In the U.S., the Bush administration has weakened America's FOIA laws by re-classifying documents previously made public, citing security concerns of the war on terror.
