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    Australians respond to media campaign that calls out “creeping culture of secrecy”

    Mixed reactions to the Australian media's #righttoknow campaign range from broad community support to denial by government ministers and senior public servants, plus some predictable cynicism on social media.
    by Kevin Rennie Oct 29, 2019 4 minutes
    Redacted front pages for Your Right to Know campaign

    Redacted front pages for Your Right to Know campaign – Courtesy Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance

    The Your Right to Know campaign launched by the major Australian mainstream media organisations on 21 October 2019 has brought about mixed reactions. These range from broad community support to denial by government ministers and senior public servants. It has also faced some predictable cynicism on social media.

    The issue of press freedom had reached a crisis point in June with raids by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) on members of two of the country's largest media organisations, namely the ABC and News Corp.

    Australia has no bill of rights or constitutional provisions guaranteeing freedom of speech or a free press. The High Court recently recognised a narrow implied freedom of communication on governmental and political matters.

    Human rights advocates know what they want:

    London-based Australian barrister Jennifer Robinson, who has experience defending Julian Assange, put forward a strong case for reform:

    The federal government’s response to earlier criticisms was to refer the question of press freedom to an inquiry by the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS), which has been holding public hearings.

    The government’s responses to the #RighttoKnow campaign either downplay concerns or attack the media's demands:

    The Estimates Committee is a permanent committee of the Australian Senate, which regularly questions ministers and public servants about government business and administration.

    Prime Minister Scott Morrison accused the media of wanting to be “above the law”, a claim they quickly refuted.

    We are not seeking anything like the ‘blanket exemption’ that some have claimed. We are asking for common sense changes to laws so that, like politicians, the unique role journalists have in serving society is acknowledged.

    In an interview with ABC Radio National’s Hamish Macdonald, senior News Corp executive and campaign spokesperson, Campbell Reid, called out the government for deliberate “misinformation”. He argued that the media have not sought blanket exemption. He also brought up what he sees as a “creeping culture of secrecy” such as an increasing number of court suppression orders and ineffective freedom of information processes. The full audio is available here.

    Independent journalist and blogger William Summers echoed a common belief about the difficulty of accessing freedom of information procedures:

    However, many on social media have little sympathy for News Corp or its proprietor Rupert Murdoch. They publish Australia's only national daily paper The Australian as well as several State and regional papers and Sky News Australia on subscription television. Accusations of hypocrisy include lack of objectivity and professionalism, misinformation and unprincipled journalism. Many tweets were scathing:

    A longstanding member of the Canberra Press Gallery, Paul Bongiorno, was also critical of his media colleagues for their lack of criticism of many of the new laws:

    After mostly cheerleading the 75 or so increasingly more draconian national security laws introduced over the past 18 years, they now realise they have unwittingly encouraged an erosion of their freedom to report, inform and hold government to account.

    In a positive move, the new Australian Federal Police Commissioner, Reece Kershaw, announced a review into how his organisation investigates leaks and related “sensitive” matters. It will not be an examination of the two raids but will be more “holistic”.

    However, some netizens will take a lot of convincing:

    Whilst there is public support for the campaign, many who agree with its aims have misgivings:

    Meanwhile, the self-styled “chief tax collector”, Chris Jordan, has enflamed the debate about whistleblowers during a Senate Estimates Committee hearing with claims that two of their employees were not sacked for blowing the whistle on the Australian Tax Office. He has been accused of abusing parliamentary privilege:

    The latest Whistleblowers Australia's online newsletter The Whistle explores many recent cases:

    TIMOR L’ESTE whistleblower Witness K, his lawyer Bernard Collaery, the Afghan Files whistleblower David McBride and ATO whistleblower Richard Boyle have become proxies in the government’s war on us, the people.

    There is no doubt that the recommendations of the PJCIS freedom of the press review and any subsequent legislation will be carefully scrutinised especially on social media.

    Originally published in Global Voices.

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