Qld gag laws: CCC wants further suppression of corruption claims
The Queensland Government backtracked on laws that would have suppressed corruption allegations from publication – but the state’s watchdog now wants to go even further.
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Queenslanders would be unaware of corruption allegations levelled at politicians and members of the public until they were finalised under a crackdown proposed by the state’s corruption watchdog.
And Crime and Corruption Commission boss Alan MacSporran said the laws shouldn’t be restricted to election periods, but rather all year round.
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It comes after the State Government introduced a Bill last month that would have gagged journalists from reporting corruption allegations levelled at candidates during election campaigns.
The laws would have outlawed newspapers, radio, television or internet reports of allegations being referred to the CCC, and carried a hefty fine or jail time.
But following severe backlash, the Government pulled the Bill less than 24 hours later.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the proposal was off the table completely, but Mr MacSporran encouraged the Government to revisit it.
He said the watchdog didn’t support last month’s Bill because it contained aspects which hadn’t been recommended.
“Things such as confining the prohibition period to the time with the election campaign which we thought was inappropriate because it’s too easy to circumvent … and allowing exceptions for candidates to inform their constituents about corrupt behaviour about another candidate which a member of the public couldn’t ordinarily do,” he said.
Mr MacSporran said he supported the element of journalists being restricted.
Asked whether he would prefer for the laws to apply all year, he said, “Yes, and apply to everyone, not just select people.”
But Attorney-General and Justice Minister Yvette D’Ath told The Courier-Mail the Bill was off the table and the Government’s position hadn’t changed.
LNP Attorney-General spokesman David Janetzki said the gag laws would never see the light of day under an LNP Government.
Journalism professor Peter Greste said he didn’t agree with Mr MacSporran and hoped the Bill was never resurrected.
The CCC boss also said the watchdog had no objection to shield laws – which allow journalists to claim legal privilege to protect their sources – if they were similar to what’s been introduced around Australia.
“Those laws are protective of journalists’ sources, confidentiality of those sources, providing that protection is not contrary to the wider public interest and that’s an important safeguard for investigative journalists and such, so no we have no quarrel with that at all,” Mr MacSporran said.
Meanwhile a probe into Ms Palaszczuk’s former chief of staff, David Barbagallo, should be wrapped up by October 6.
It surrounded corrupt conduct allegations regarding the awarding of the $267,500 Advance Queensland Business Development Fund co-investment to Fortress Capstone, a company Mr Barbagallo part-owns, to build a smartphone app.