Your right

Media groups unite against growing culture of secrecy

AUSTRALIANS are being robbed of their right to know about vital issues by a “culture of secrecy” in the Australian Government, and draconian laws that threaten whistleblowers and criminalise journalism, a Senate committee heard yesterday.

And the shroud of secrecy was only getting worse, the Press Freedom Inquiry heard, with whistleblowers being deliberately “intimidated” by raids, and journalists left not SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2019 knowing whether they would be criminally prosecuted for months after their homes and workplaces had been raided by Australian Federal Police.

Six media organisations, including the ABC, Nine, and News Corp, appeared at the first public hearing of the inquiry yesterday, appealing for urgent legal reform to protect whistleblowers, limit documents that can be “stamped secret,” and allow them to contest warrants against journalists before a judge.

Nine chief political editor Chris Uhlmann said protection for the public’s right to know was “getting steadily worse,” with more information classified as secret, and government promises to protect public interest reporting being broken.

He said examples included fresh secrecy around boat arrivals in Australia, more Freedom of Information documents being redacted, and even the Federal Government’s refusal to detail how much it was paying The Block host Scott Cam to act as national careers ambassador.