Australian Newspapers Protest Restrictions by Government

New Delhi, October 21, 2019:

Australia’s biggest newspapers on Monday blacked out their front pages in protest against legislation that curbs press freedoms in the land down under.

The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance said that the parliament of Australia has passed laws under the pretext of national security that blocks the public’s right to know what the government is doing.

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Reportedly, Australia has no constitutional safeguards for free speech, although the national government added a provision to protect whistleblowers when it strengthened counter-espionage laws in 2018. Journalists, however, say press freedoms remain restricted.

The incidents of restriction of the press came to light in May, when the police raided the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and the home of a News Corp editor on suspicion of receiving national secrets.

The police examined about 9,000 computer files at the ABC and sifted through the female editor’s underwear drawer, drawing widespread condemnation, said reports.

The ABC has said the raid was related to its 2017 stories about accusations of military misconduct in Afghanistan.

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News Corp has said the raid on its editor was regarding an article about government plans to spy on Australians’ emails, text messages, and bank accounts.

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