My view is it's better to have it all in one office. Privacy and FOI have grown separately for over 20 years. A tension has developed between them, understandably. One is more concerned with openness, the other is more concerned with protection and at times confidentiality. Bringing them together creates a better framework within which the tensions can be addressed. But importantly too, it means that my office starts with the benefit of the considerable experience of the Privacy Commissioner and that office over the last 20 years.
One of the first things I realized was the considerable talent that was in the privacy office, and creating this merged office has been very important. It sent a strong message to government agencies too that all these different aspects of information management are connected and need a central focus and strong leadership within the agency.