Australia is now 39th in Reporters Sans Frontiers' World Press Freedom Index, a staggering decline of 20 places since 2018. This reflects a fact acknowledged by both the Morrison and Albanese governments: Australia has a press freedom problem.
The 2019 AFP raids on News Corp journalist Annika Smethurst and the ABC prompted two parliamentary inquiries and as many constitutional challenges. Meanwhile, the prosecutions of whistleblowers David McBirde, Witness K and Richard Boyle revealed the potential consequences for those who expose government wrongdoing.
Vast and complex security laws, set against an absence of protections unique in the Western world, have made public interest reporting a risky business for journalists and their sources.
These problems are well known, but we are yet to see actual law reform to support public interest journalism.
