Why every Australian journalist is at risk if they offend Washington – The Age

Journalists and media owners have argued the case for press freedom before a federal parliamentary committee examining the issue. While they railed against the raids by the AFP on the ABC and a News Limited journalist, and bemoaned the fragility of legal protections for the media in Australia, the bigger picture is being missed by the Australian media on two fronts.

First, as the High Court again confirmed in a recent decision, Australias lack of a charter or bill of rights means there is little by way of constitutional protection against incursions on freedom of speech. And second, the precedent sought to be set by the United States against an Australian citizen, Julian Assange, places every Australian journalist at risk of extradition to that nation if they publish material of a sensitive nature which Washington does not want aired. These larger issues need resolution.

Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, left, at a demonstration in Berlin last month against extradition of Julian Assange to the US.Credit:DPA

Unlike Canada, Britain, the US, European nations within the EU and newer democracies such as South Africa, Australia has refused to embrace a constitutional human rights charter. The government of former Labor prime minister Kevin Rudd toyed with the idea but wouldnt spend political capital fighting the conservative opposition, including News Limited, which ironically is now one of the loudest champions of freedom of speech.

But the failure to establish a constitutionally embedded human rights charter, which not only protects freedom of speech but also enshrines a right to privacy, means that governments continue to be able to pass laws that are clearly undermining those rights.

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Why every Australian journalist is at risk if they offend Washington - The Age