4 years ago
MORRISON CONTRADICTS PORTER ON MEDIA FREEDOM
MARK DREYFUS QC MP
The Morrison Government is now deeply divided over where they stand on press freedom.
Under pressure following the unprecedented police raids on journalists, Attorney-General Christian Porter issued a direction that prosecutors will need his approval before charging Dan Oakes, Annika Smethurst or Sam Clark.
In other words, he said that he – a politician – would decide whether journalists would be prosecuted.
The Prime Minister has now directly contradicted that direction, telling Parliament:
I do not believe that those decisions about who should be prosecuted at the end of the day should be made on the whim of politicians.
Scott Morrison, Question Time, Monday 21 October 2019
The Attorney-General must immediately clarify what this means for his directive.
Mr Morrison’s statement suggests that this Government does not know where it stands on freedom of the press and the Australian public’s right to know.
This is the same Prime Minister who dismissed widespread public concerns about raids on journalists with a wave of the hand and a glib one-liner saying “it never troubles me that our laws are being upheld”.
This is typical from a Prime Minister who is loose with the truth and repeatedly avoids answering even the simplest questions that seek to hold him accountable to the Australian people.
This arrogant Government believes no one is above the law except them – especially when it comes to complying with its legal obligations under Australia’s freedom of information laws.
Scott Morrison and his senior ministers treat “press freedom” as if it were an inconvenience rather than as an essential pillar of our democracy.
A strong and independent media is vital to holding governments – and opposition parties – to account and Labor will continue to stand with journalists and the Right to Know Coalition to fight to defend and to strengthen press freedom.
Under pressure following the unprecedented police raids on journalists, Attorney-General Christian Porter issued a direction that prosecutors will need his approval before charging Dan Oakes, Annika Smethurst or Sam Clark.
In other words, he said that he – a politician – would decide whether journalists would be prosecuted.
The Prime Minister has now directly contradicted that direction, telling Parliament:
I do not believe that those decisions about who should be prosecuted at the end of the day should be made on the whim of politicians.
Scott Morrison, Question Time, Monday 21 October 2019
The Attorney-General must immediately clarify what this means for his directive.
Mr Morrison’s statement suggests that this Government does not know where it stands on freedom of the press and the Australian public’s right to know.
This is the same Prime Minister who dismissed widespread public concerns about raids on journalists with a wave of the hand and a glib one-liner saying “it never troubles me that our laws are being upheld”.
This is typical from a Prime Minister who is loose with the truth and repeatedly avoids answering even the simplest questions that seek to hold him accountable to the Australian people.
This arrogant Government believes no one is above the law except them – especially when it comes to complying with its legal obligations under Australia’s freedom of information laws.
Scott Morrison and his senior ministers treat “press freedom” as if it were an inconvenience rather than as an essential pillar of our democracy.
A strong and independent media is vital to holding governments – and opposition parties – to account and Labor will continue to stand with journalists and the Right to Know Coalition to fight to defend and to strengthen press freedom.