It was the moment at which what was merely an occupation (and not a terribly well-rewarded one) became a profession – and the achievements of journalists since then can be looked back on with a great deal of pride.
At the heart of that pride is the Walkley Awards for Excellence in Journalism. Founded in 1953 by the chief executive of Ampol, Sir William Gaston Walkley, they were bequeathed to the Media Alliance, Australia's trade union for journalists, who have been the proud trustees of the Awards ever since.
Over nearly six decades, the awards have grown from a modest affair, with just five categories, to become an industry institution, recognising great work in 34 categories across all media platforms.
The AJA was the first union to achieve equal pay for women which it did from its beginning.
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| John Curtin's AJA Badge |
"What they said was ridiculous," he said.
"To brand what the WikiLeaks site has done as illegal when there's no evidence of any breach of the law, I think is demeaning ... I think as journalists we should make that our view."
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The Media Alliance and the International Federation of Journalism (IFJ) have stood firmly behind Wikileaks and its editor Julian Assange, repudiating “desperate and “dangerous” political attacks on the whistle-blowing organisation.
Alliance federal secretary Christopher Warren and IFJ general secretary Aiden White have condemned the political backlash and accused the United States of attacking free speech after it put pressure on the website’s host server to shut down the site yesterday.
"Amazon's decision is extremely disappointing," said Alliance federal secretary, Christopher Warren.
"We need to take a step back from the hysteria. It is not known whether WikiLeaks has broken any law. It has – via a free media – upheld the public’s right to know.
Amazon.com ceased to host WikiLeaks after United States officials condemned the torrent of revelations about political, business and diplomatic affairs that has given the public unprecedented access to detailed information from United States sources, much of it embarrassing to leading public figures.
"It is unacceptable to try to deny people the right to know,” said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary. "These revelations may be embarrassing in their detail, but they also expose corruption and double-dealing in public life that is worthy of public scrutiny. The response of the United States is desperate and dangerous because it goes against fundamental principles of free speech and democracy."
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