Description
On 4 June the Australian Federal Police executed a search warrant at the home of Annika Smethurst, a News Corp Journalist, in connection with stories published in April 2018 on possible new powers for one of Australia’s intelligence agencies, the Australian Signals Directorate. The next day, a search warrant was also executed in the Sydney office of the ABC, relating to a series of stories published in 2017 on the conduct of Australia's elite special forces in Afghanistan. These actions have raised a range of issues over the freedom of the press in Australia, but they also concern the protection of whistleblowers, the breadth of offences relating to disclosure of classified and national security information, public scrutiny of intelligence and defence agency investigations and processes, the context of the actions in light of recent legislative developments and the issue and breadth of the search warrants involved. This panel discussion will provide an opportunity to explore the legal framework surrounding these issues, their history and ongoing impact, and the possibilities of reform.| Period | 03 Jul 2019 |
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| Event type | Seminar |
| Location | Canberra, Australia, Australian Capital TerritoryShow on map |
| Degree of Recognition | Regional |