ABC and Press Freedom Proposals

MEAA 

The ABC will push for legislative review to protect freedom of the press after its bosses met with the prime minister following an AFP raid on the broadcaster.

The ABC plans to join forces with other media outlets to pinpoint areas of concern for press freedom in Australia and encourage the federal government to act on them.

The broadcaster has expressed the sentiment after its chair Ita Buttrose and managing director David Anderson met with Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Communications Minister Paul Fletcher on Tuesday.

The meeting was scheduled before two police raids on journalists last week, which sparked a debate on freedom of the press.

An ABC raid came off the back of stories published in 2017 alleging Australian soldiers may have carried out unlawful killings in Afghanistan, based on leaked Defence papers.

The other was on the Canberra home of a News Corp Australia reporter over a 2018 story detailing an alleged government proposal to spy on Australians.

In a statement following its high profile meeting, the ABC said it raised its concerns about the raids and their implications for media freedom.

"The ABC looks forward to working constructively with other media companies to pinpoint areas of concern and to pursue the case for legislative review," the statement read.

That came after Ms Buttrose last week complained to Mr Fletcher of the sweeping nature of the AFP warrant, saying it was "clearly designed to intimidate".

She is weighing up legal avenues the ABC could pursue against the AFP.

Mr Morrison says he is open to improvements to press freedom if they are warranted, but says he will act on the issue "calmly and soberly".

He insists a balance must be found between ensuring no one is above the law and protecting the freedom of the press.

"If there is suggestion or evidence or any analysis that reveals there is a need for further improvement of those (press freedom) laws, the government is always open to that," he told reporters in Sydney on Tuesday.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese believes the media reports which sparked the Australian Federal Police raids were in the public interest, and a free press is vital for democracy.

"My default position is one of protecting civil liberties and to ensure that there's accountability in our society and if the ABC won't do it as our national broadcaster, who will?" he told ABC Radio Perth.