The long-awaited report for the Parliamentary Joint Committee for Intelligence and Security’s inquiry into the impact of the exercise of law enforcement and security powers on the freedom of the press was released yesterday afternoon, 26th August.
The Alliance for Journalists’ Freedom (AJF) has been working closely with the committee throughout the submission and hearing period.
We welcome the report’s release. There is a long way to go, as UQ’s Rebecca Ananian-Welsh details here, however, the committee has clearly taken the recommendations listed in our White Paper – published three weeks before the AFP raids – and our subsequent recommendations on board during the drafting process.
We look forward to continuing our work with the committee in the coming months to ensure the public’s right to know is appropriately balanced with our national security – two essential elements of a healthy democracy that, in our view, are not necessarily in conflict.