Scott Morrison berated for media freedom ‘hypocrisy’

Scott Morrison blasted for defending media freedom in China but not at home.

News Corp Australia director of corporate affairs Campbell Reid at the press freedom hearing in Sydney. Picture: Dylan Robinson

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been accused of hypocrisy by one of News Corp Australia’s most senior figures, claiming the Prime Minister’s concerns over the treatment of writer Yang Hengjun in China doesn’t match concern for press freedom at home.

Campbell Reid, News Corp Australia’s group executive of corporate and government affairs, questioned why Mr Morrison was concerned by the “away game” of Mr Yang’s incarceration but not with press freedom at home.

“I saw Mr Morrison in front of the microphones talking very compellingly about the predicament the Australian writer in China is in. Under arrest, accused of espionage; so I ask this question: Why is press freedom very important, and freedom of information important in China, and not very important in Australia?” Mr Reid asked at the Alliance for Journalists Freedom Summit.

Mr Reid was commenting on the government’s reaction to Australian Federal Police raids on the home of News Corp journalist Annika Smethhurst and ABC’s headquarters in June.

ABC chair Ita Buttrose told the conference that she was baffled as to why the raids took place, saying it could lead to an ABC journalist jailed for up to ten years, even while the stories were still available for the public to view.

“I have never seen anything like it before. . . and I do really question what the raid was about.

“The ‘Afghan Files’ are still online but two years later the ABC is raided. . . Dan Oakes could go to jail for ten years for receiving allegedly stolen information under the Crimes Act.

The outcry comes as a newly released correspondence with AFP deputy commissioner Neil Gaughan revealed he was congratulated by Home Affairs Secretary Michael Pezzullo on the evening of the raid on Ms Smethhurst’s house.

“Good work by all involved. I also received a call this evening from the Sec DHA [Secretary of the Department of Home Affairs, Mr Pezzullo] who is fully supportive of the actions of the AFP and ask [sic] me to pass on my [sic] thanks to the team involved,” the ABC reported today in newly released FOI documents.

“Well done — tomorrow is another day.”

The man responsible for dealing with government on behalf of News Corp, Mr Reid told the AJF summit he feared the current parliamentary inquiry into press freedom would end up like previous parliamentary inquiries and achieve very little.

“Those of us who, and many in this room, who have made endless treks to Canberra to appear before the likes of the very committee we’ve been invited to in recent times, well could we have the money for our airfares back please, because we have been clearly wasting our time.

“We’ve been going down there wearing ourselves hoarse, saying ‘these laws go too far, these laws go too far’,” Mr Reid said.

“Suddenly we find ourselves in this position where we’re being accused of not trying hard enough. Therefore why are we appearing before this current committee?”