Australia’s Press freedom inquiry requests Australian Government proves actual harm by journalists publishing classified information

Australian Government agencies should have to prove “real and serious” harm caused by any publication that contains classified intelligence and information before a criminal investigation can be launched, according to a Senate committee investigating press freedom in Australia.

The inquiry which has been dominated by Labor and Greens senators, and chaired by Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young, has been demanding an urgent review of national security legislation, finding a culture of secrecy has permeated through the current government.

Hanson-Young says the call to action was sparked back in 2019, after the Australian Federal Police raided the Canberra home of then News Corp political journalist Annika Smethurst and the Sydney headquarters of the ABC over separate stories based on leaked classified documents.

The raid sparked anger across the Australian media and brought disparate publishers and broadcasters together under a campaign banner that demanded greater protections for journalists and whistleblowers.

No charges were made against Ms Smethurst or the ABC journalists Dan Oakes and Sam Clark, despite police investigations dragging on for many years.

In its final report determined current legislation that protects secret information was far too broad, and “capture[d] a range of ordinary journalistic activity”

The Greens Senator says that journalists in Australia deserve press freedom – and Aussies deserve to know the truth, ‘especially with what is happening in Government.’