FREEDOM OF THE PRESS – AUSTRALIA

Risk of criminalising media

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Original article by Richard Ferguson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 7-Jun-19

The fallout from police raids on the ABC’s Sydney office and the home of newspaper journalist Annika Smethurst is continuing. The Australia Federal Police’s acting commissioner Neil Gaughan says the AFP is investigating criminal allegations, and it is too soon to know whether charges will be laid as a result of the raids. He adds that journalists and media companies should not assume that they are immune from criminal prosecution. News Corp Australasia executive chairman Michael Miller has stressed the importance of professional news reporting, and he has warned of the implications for democracy if journalism is criminalised.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HOME AFFAIRS, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, CENTRE ALLIANCE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF DEFENCE, AUSTRALIAN SIGNALS DIRECTORATE

ABC raid sparks battle between government and media

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Original article by Joe Kelly, Richard Ferguson
The Australian – Page: Online : 6-Jun-19

There are further concerns about freedom of the press following an Australian Federal Police raid on the Sydney offices of the ABC on 5 June. AFP officers were seeking document relating to the public broadcaster’s 2017 report on allegations of misconduct by Australian special forces in Afghanistan. The report was based on secret Defence documents that were leaked to the ABC. The AFP has indicated that the raid was not linked to a separate raid on the home of News Corp journalist Annika Smethurst on 4 June. The Greens have called for a Senate inquiry into the decline of press freedom in the wake of the police raids.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HOME AFFAIRS, MEDIA, ENTERTAINMENT AND ARTS ALLIANCE, BRITISH BROADCASTING CORPORATION

Police raid an attack on press freedom

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Original article by Richard Ferguson, Zoe Samios
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 5-Jun-19

The Media Entertainment & Arts Alliance has described an Australian Federal Police raid on the home of journalist Annika Smethurst as an "outrageous attack" on press freedom. The raid was in response to an April 2018 article which revealed that the Australian Signals Directorate may be given powers to gain access to the emails, bank records and text messages of Australian citizens. Smethurst is a senior press gallery reporter and the political editor of News Corp Australia’s Sunday newspapers.

CORPORATES
MEDIA, ENTERTAINMENT AND ARTS ALLIANCE, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, AUSTRALIAN SIGNALS DIRECTORATE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, 2GB, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HOME AFFAIRS, LAW COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT

Leyonhjelm’s despair for erosion of press freedom

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Original article by Simon Benson
The Australian – Page: 2 : 26-Mar-18

Liberal Democrat senator David Leyonhjelm has accused the Abbott and Turnbull governments of the biggest crackdown on freedom of the press for many years through various laws. Leyonhjelm contends the crackdown began with Abbott in 2013, when Leyonhjelm says Abbott tried to make political mileage out of national security. Commenting on proposed espionage legislation that critics say could see journalists jailed for just doing their job, Attorney-General Christian Porter says he does not think any Australian would support the release of information that might risk the lives of ASIO or AFP staff or result in the death of an Australian.

CORPORATES
LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, AUSTRALIAN SECURITY INTELLIGENCE ORGANISATION, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Journos reject spy risk claim for flawed law

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Original article by Dana McCauley
The Australian – Page: 26 & 28 : 19-Mar-18

Former Al Jazeera foreign correspondent Peter Greste has expressed concern about the potential impact of the Federal Government’s proposed espionage and foreign interference laws on freedom of speech. Media companies have also raised concerns about the limitations of the proposed laws in a new submission to federal parliament’s intelligence committee, while Law Council of Australia president Morry Bailes says the defence that reporting on an issue is in the public interest should be widened.

CORPORATES
AL JAZEERA, LAW COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, MEDIA, ENTERTAINMENT AND ARTS ALLIANCE, UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND, COMMUNIST PARTY (CHINA)

Media call for spy laws rewrite

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Original article by Primrose Riordan, Sam Buckingham-Jones
The Australian – Page: 2 : 16-Mar-18

Media companies and the Law Council of Australia have raised further concerns about the Federal Government’s foreign interference laws in new submissions to the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Intelligence & Security. The media industry argues that the bill is "deeply flawed" and it should be completely redrafted. The Law Council in turn has argued that the definition of some key terms in the draft bill need to be clarified, including "national security" and "news media".

CORPORATES
LAW COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. JOINT PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE AND SECURITY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED, SKY NEWS, THE GUARDIAN AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN SECURITY INTELLIGENCE ORGANISATION, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, HUMAN RIGHTS LAW CENTRE LIMITED

New spy laws still not good enough: Dreyfus

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Original article by Primrose Riordan
The Australian – Page: 2 : 14-Mar-18

Media companies have warned that journalists could still be jailed under draft amendments to the Federal Government’s proposed espionage laws. The amendments would provide limited legal protection for journalists who receive and report on classified information. The media industry’s joint submission argues that journalists would still be required to defend their actions in court. The Opposition’s legal affairs spokesman Mark Dreyfus says the amendments are flawed and will not be supported by Labor.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS), AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATED PRESS PTY LTD, MEDIA, ENTERTAINMENT AND ARTS ALLIANCE, WEST AUSTRALIAN NEWSPAPERS HOLDINGS LIMITED

Softened spy laws sent for scrutiny

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Original article by Simon Benson
The Australian – Page: 4 : 6-Mar-18

The Federal Government has amended proposed foreign interference laws in response to the media industry’s concern about the impact on freedom of the press. Although journalists will not be exempt from the laws, they will only face criminal prosecution for reporting on classified documents if their actions pose a threat to public safety or national security, or affect an ongoing criminal investigation. The amendments will be scrutinised by the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence & Security.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. JOINT PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE AND SECURITY, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, AUSTRALIAN SECURITY INTELLIGENCE ORGANISATION

Labor backs changes to protect journalists

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Original article by Greg Brown
The Australian – Page: 2 : 9-Feb-18

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has welcomed the Federal Government’s decision to provide greater protection for journalists in its proposed espionage laws. Attorney-General Christian Porter has indicated that journalists will not face prosecution for publishing classified information if they had believed that doing so was in the public interest. The media industry had expressed concern that journalists could face criminal prosecution for receiving classified information.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT

Spy laws: New A-G concedes ground

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Original article by Simon Benson, Nicola Berkovic
The Australian – Page: 1 & 8 : 8-Feb-18

The Federal Government has responded to the media industry’s concerns about its proposed foreign interference laws by agreeing to some safeguards for journalists. Attorney-General Christian Porter has advised that journalists who receive classified information will only face criminal prosecution under certain circumstances, such as if reporting on the information could potentially affect public safety or pose a threat to national security. However, commonwealth officers who leak confidential information will not receive any such exemption.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, LAW COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN SECURITY INTELLIGENCE ORGANISATION, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, ASHURST AUSTRALIA