When she became Premier, Paula Cox promised that she would make Government more transparent and would raise the level of governance.Such a promise was needed in the wake of scandals, critical Auditor’s reports and perceptions, fair or not, of corruption within Government.And while good governance is often perceived as being firmly on the unsexy side of politics, the Progressive Labour Party was vulnerable in this area, while the efforts of John Barritt in particular had enabled the Opposition to position itself as the champion of open government.On Friday, Ms Cox delivered a statement which showed she had not forgotten her promise.She gave more detail on how the new Office of Project Management and Procurement, which will oversee large contracts for purchases and development, will work.This is critical, because it is in the handling of capital projects that the Government has come in for the most criticism. Accusations of failure to offer competitive tenders, cost overruns, dubious accounting practices and breaches of Financial Instructions have characterised all of these projects to one degree or another.To date, Financial Instructions have been honoured in the breach too often. By making them regulations and giving them the force of law, they will be enforceable and senior civil servants, who are also chief accounting officers, will be more easily held accountable. This should do much to ensure that finances are well managed.Also important is the long-awaited clause for whistleblowers, who will receive protection from dismissal in the event that they report crimes or wrongdoing. This would seem to be an obvious right, but clearly it is not and the protection is needed.Ms Cox is right to infer that the Government’s credibility on this issue is shaky.Conversely, she is also right to say that Government has passed a good deal of legislation aimed at improving transparency and good governance.But the legislation that has been passed goes to show how legislation alone cannot raise standards unless the individuals responsible for it are prepared to do their part.The delays and foot-dragging of the Public Access to Information Act is one demonstration of that.Politicians’ habit of ignoring the Register of Interests is another.Indeed, it is remarkable that in this day and age, the Government is having to require public officers to declare a conflict of interest in the awarding of contracts. Again, this should be a given.Ms Cox has also taken the politically risky move of reviewing past Government projects. While welcome, this is a two-edged sword for Ms Cox.If wrongdoing is found, this may do damage to her government. If that’s the case, she is to be praised for going ahead with it, despite the political costs, for the good of Bermuda. But if the investigations find nothing, there’s a good chance her Government will be accused of a whitewash.It is important to note that many of these promises have yet to be made into law. It is one thing to promise change, and another to deliver it. But these moves are welcome all the same.