OTTAWA – Several members of the federal advisory panel on open government are urging the Conservatives to reform the Access to Information Act, a law that has barely changed in over 30 years.

The panel of experts from business, academia and civil society is providing advice to Ottawa on preparations for the next open government plan, to be released this fall.

The Conservatives have focused to date on making data sets more readily available, increasing access to archived federal documents and developing new ways to consult Canadians online.

The government has made no commitment to reforming the Access to Information Act — which allows the public to request federal documents — despite calls for modernization from the information watchdog, opposition parties and pro-democracy groups.

Three members of the advisory panel tell The Canadian Press they would like to see an overhaul of the access law.

One panel member, University of Ottawa law professor Teresa Scassa, says it is fundamentally important to transparency.

Follow @JimBronskill on Twitter