ABC chair Ita Buttrose has "grave concern" about this week's Australian Federal Police (AFP) raid at the national broadcaster, which she says were "clearly designed to intimidate".
Key points:
Ms Buttrose said she had a "frank conversation" with the Federal Communications Minister about the raid
She said: "As ABC Chair, I will fight any attempts to muzzle the national broadcaster."
Wednesday's raid at the ABC's Sydney headquarters lasted more than eight hours
AFP officers executed a search warrant at the ABC's Ultimo headquarters on Wednesday, over a series of 2017 stories known as the Afghan Files.
In a statement, Ms Buttrose said she had a "frank conversation" with Federal Communications Minister Paul Fletcher yesterday, and that the raid was "clearly designed to intimidate".
The AFP also raided the Canberra home of a News Corp journalist on Tuesday — however that incident was not related to the ABC search warrant.
It is impossible to ignore the seismic nature of this week's events: raids on two separate media outfits on consecutive days is a blunt signal of adverse consequences for news organisations who make life uncomfortable for policy makers and regulators by shining lights in dark corners and holding the powerful to account," Ms Buttrose said.
"I also asked for assurances that the ABC not be subject to future raids of this sort.
"Mr Fletcher declined to provide such assurances, while noting the 'substantial concern' registered by the Corporation."
The Afghan Files stories, by ABC investigative journalists Dan Oakes and Sam Clark, revealed allegations of unlawful killings and misconduct by Australian special forces in Afghanistan and were based off hundreds of pages of secret Defence documents leaked to the ABC.
The ABC's Afghan Files stories in 2017 gave an unprecedented insight into the operations of Australia's elite special forces, detailing incidents of troops killing unarmed men and children and concerns about a "warrior culture" among soldiers.
"As ABC Chair, I will fight any attempts to muzzle the national broadcaster or interfere with its obligations to the Australian public," Ms Buttrose said.
"Independence is not exercised by degrees. It is absolute."
Ms Buttrose, who is only the second woman to lead the ABC board, said an "untrammelled" media which upholds the community's right to information has driven her journalistic career for almost five decades.
"In my view, legitimate journalistic endeavours that expose flawed decision-making or matters that policy makers and public servants would simply prefer were secret, should not automatically and conveniently be classed as issues of national security," she said.
Ms Buttrose called the search warrant, which named Oakes, Clark and the ABC's Director of News Gaven Morris, as "sweeping".
Bruce McWilliam
Media executive and lawyer Bruce McWilliam has made a stunning attack on national security laws and the federal police, accusing successive governments of giving themselves "unlimited and dangerously wide power".
Mr McWilliam – who is best friends with former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull – said police were given free rein by the courts to execute search warrants and subpoena documents, while parliamentary oversight of national security legislation was virtually non-existent.
Federal police raided the ABC's Sydney headquarters on Wednesday as part of an investigation into alleged leaks.
The comments come amid escalating demands for an inquiry into this week's twin raids against journalists from the ABC and News Corporation as part of two separate Australian Federal Police investigations into the alleged leaking of classified information.
It can also be revealed the Coalition government in 2015 explicitly rejected calls for new, legally enforceable protocols governing raids by the AFP on media outlets, arguing there should not be special provisions for journalists.
Key points:
Ms Buttrose said she had a "frank conversation" with the Federal Communications Minister about the raid
She said: "As ABC Chair, I will fight any attempts to muzzle the national broadcaster."
Wednesday's raid at the ABC's Sydney headquarters lasted more than eight hours
AFP officers executed a search warrant at the ABC's Ultimo headquarters on Wednesday, over a series of 2017 stories known as the Afghan Files.
In a statement, Ms Buttrose said she had a "frank conversation" with Federal Communications Minister Paul Fletcher yesterday, and that the raid was "clearly designed to intimidate".
The AFP also raided the Canberra home of a News Corp journalist on Tuesday — however that incident was not related to the ABC search warrant.
It is impossible to ignore the seismic nature of this week's events: raids on two separate media outfits on consecutive days is a blunt signal of adverse consequences for news organisations who make life uncomfortable for policy makers and regulators by shining lights in dark corners and holding the powerful to account," Ms Buttrose said.
"I also asked for assurances that the ABC not be subject to future raids of this sort.
"Mr Fletcher declined to provide such assurances, while noting the 'substantial concern' registered by the Corporation."
The Afghan Files stories, by ABC investigative journalists Dan Oakes and Sam Clark, revealed allegations of unlawful killings and misconduct by Australian special forces in Afghanistan and were based off hundreds of pages of secret Defence documents leaked to the ABC.
The ABC's Afghan Files stories in 2017 gave an unprecedented insight into the operations of Australia's elite special forces, detailing incidents of troops killing unarmed men and children and concerns about a "warrior culture" among soldiers.
"As ABC Chair, I will fight any attempts to muzzle the national broadcaster or interfere with its obligations to the Australian public," Ms Buttrose said.
"Independence is not exercised by degrees. It is absolute."
Ms Buttrose, who is only the second woman to lead the ABC board, said an "untrammelled" media which upholds the community's right to information has driven her journalistic career for almost five decades.
"In my view, legitimate journalistic endeavours that expose flawed decision-making or matters that policy makers and public servants would simply prefer were secret, should not automatically and conveniently be classed as issues of national security," she said.
Ms Buttrose called the search warrant, which named Oakes, Clark and the ABC's Director of News Gaven Morris, as "sweeping".
Bruce McWilliam
Media executive and lawyer Bruce McWilliam has made a stunning attack on national security laws and the federal police, accusing successive governments of giving themselves "unlimited and dangerously wide power".
Mr McWilliam – who is best friends with former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull – said police were given free rein by the courts to execute search warrants and subpoena documents, while parliamentary oversight of national security legislation was virtually non-existent.
Federal police raided the ABC's Sydney headquarters on Wednesday as part of an investigation into alleged leaks.
The comments come amid escalating demands for an inquiry into this week's twin raids against journalists from the ABC and News Corporation as part of two separate Australian Federal Police investigations into the alleged leaking of classified information.
It can also be revealed the Coalition government in 2015 explicitly rejected calls for new, legally enforceable protocols governing raids by the AFP on media outlets, arguing there should not be special provisions for journalists.
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