Federal attorney general Christian Porter has issued a directive to prosecutors that he must be consulted first before journalists are charged in connection with their reporting.
Two ABC journalists and one from News Corp face possible charges following raids by the Australian Federal Police seeking documents related to leaks of information.
Major media groups, including Nine, News Corp and the ABC, have called for greater press freedom and better protections for journalists and whistleblowers.
"I have previously said that I would be seriously disinclined to approve prosecutions of journalists except in the most exceptional circumstances and would pay particular attention to whether a journalist was simply operating according to the generally accepted principles of public interest journalism," says Porter.
Porter signed the directive to the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions (CDPP) on September 19.
"The direction means where the CDPP independently considers that there is a public interest in a prosecution for one of the relevant offences involving a journalist, the consent of the Attorney-General will also be required as a separate and additional safeguard," says Porter in a statement.
"This will allow the most detailed and cautious consideration of how an allegation of a serious offence should be balanced with our commitment to freedom of the press."
Campbell Reid, News Corp Australia’s director of corporate affairs, said: “This so-called safeguard falls a long way short of what media organisations are seeking — to recognise the role of journalists to keep the public informed."
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