Australia Pulls Back Gag on Journalists Reporting Corruption During Campaigns

After an Australian court ruled a journalist can't protect a source in a murder and terrorism case, a government plan to bar the media from reporting corruption allegations during election campaigns has been pulled back abruptly.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said it was taken "completely off the table," following ferocious criticism from journalists and right-to-know advocates it was trying to drop a cloak over transparency.

The proposal was scuttled less than a day after the government of Prime Minister Scott Morrison, whose administration is prosecuting journalists reporting alleged war crimes by Australian soldiers in Iraq and secret plans to spy on citizens, wanted to further restrict journalists in doing their work.

"Obviously, the Government now has no intention of pursuing that and we will not be pursuing that, if we are successful at the next election as well," said Palasczczuk, saying she took “full responsibility” for the fiasco.

Journalists would have faced six months in jail or a fine if they reported on corruption allegations made to the Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC) during election periods, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) said.

She shifted the blame, however, to the CCC, not the government, claiming the agency had been consulted about the sudden scheme.

“This was not a Government recommendation, it was a recommendation that came from the CCC," she said, repeating herself for emphasis in what critics said was a shameless attempt at avoiding any responsibility after saying she took it.
"Usually we are asked by the media when are we implementing the CCC recommendations — that is exactly what we were doing this time,” she said, adding to the confusion over how the government was handling journalists.

In 2016, the CCC recommended a new offense be established about writing stories concerning allegations of corrupt conduct during a local government election period, later broadened to state elections.

Mocking the idea and the government going into reverse, major opposition Leader Deb Frecklington said the CCC had "never recommended any laws that would have gagged journalists or threatened them with jail."

She added: "Annastacia Palaszczuk blaming the CCC is a complete cop-out and a failure of leadership. The fact that Annastacia Palaszczuk ticked off on these media gag laws raises questions about her judgment and what she is trying to hide,” she also told ABC.