Australia's biggest media groups -- ABC, Nine, News Corp, Free TV, SBS and Seven West Media -- are unhappy that a month after search warrants were carried out by the Australian Federal Police the fate of their journalists remains unclear.
The media players say they had a constructive discussion yesterday with Attorney-General Christian Porter and Minister for Communications Paul Fletcher.
The media groups say they stressed the importance of the Federal Government taking a leadership position on the public’s right to be informed and to set the tone for a less secret and more open democracy.
They have agreed to meet again with the Attorney-General and Minister for Communications in three months.
"But we remain frustrated that a month after search warrants were carried out by the Australian Federal Police the fate of our journalists remains unclear," they said in a statement.
The federal government has agreed to establish an inquiry into press freedom following calls for better protection for journalists but the process isn't what the media wanted.
"While our strong preference was for immediate action rather than inquiries, we will engage with any processes that seek to address the issues we have raised," the media groups said in a statement.
"We will continue to push for real outcomes that strengthen the Australian public’s fundamental right to know.
"We have committed to making further direct submissions both on the fate of our journalists and on the specific areas where freedom of the press has been eroded."
The media heads came together after police raids on journalists at the ABC and News Corp.
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