Queensland Police backs down on requirement for officers to declare associations with journalists
Political leaders have sworn to amend a Queensland Police Service document that listed journalists alongside criminals and religious extremists in a training manual about declared associates.
Political leaders have sworn to amend a Queensland Police Service document that listed journalists alongside criminals and religious extremists in a training manual about declared associates.
A leaked internal training manual showed officers and staff were instructed to disclose out-of-work associations with journalists and media organisations “where the association is incompatible with QPS values”, or face disciplinary action.
The page, titled “Outside of work – who are you associated with”, which was accompanied by an image of a press pack, also warns of the dangers of engaging with people with a known or suspected criminal history, members of a group or organisation involved in criminal activity, and a person or group with extreme political, social or religious views.
Liberal National Party leader David Crisafulli committed to overturning the directive should he win government at the state election on October 26.
“It’s dangerous, it’s chilling, and it shows you everything about the culture of the government in trying to suppress anyone who wants to tell the truth,” he said.
“We’ve now reached the point in Queensland where the government is so desperate to avoid scrutiny they reckon journalists are dangerous for telling the truth.”
Queensland Premier Steven Miles said he would meet with state Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski to ask for the policy to be changed if Labor retains power at this month’s election.
Queensland police confirmed the “declarable associations policy” had existed in various forms for at least a decade and was designed to manage officers’ external relationships to minimise risk.
A QPS spokeswoman said the policy was “unlikely to apply to any accredited news outlets or journalists operating in Australia”.
“The policy does not list journalists or media outlets as associations that must be declared and in no way suggests that journalists or media outlets are collectively incompatible with the QPS values of integrity, respect and courage,” she said.
“However, it is up to the officer to determine if their associations should be declared for the sake of transparency and to reduce any actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interest.”
The Fitzgerald Inquiry in the late 1980s uncovered systemic corruption and abuse of power within the government and police, and led to the establishment of today’s Crime and Corruption Commission.
Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance Queensland acting media director Michelle Rae said it was insulting for Queensland police to even consider lumping journalists in with so-called “undesirables” such as criminals, bikies and extremists.
Ms Rae said police sources are invaluable and without them important stories would never see the light of day. “Last time we checked, journalism wasn’t a crime in Queensland,” she said.
“This is a dangerous precedent Queensland police are attempting to set. Who would decide whether a journalist was ‘compatible with QPS values’ and is banned from having contact with police? There is no transparency about how these decisions would be made.
“Quite clearly, the targets of this directive are not only journalists but whistleblowers within the Queensland police who themselves fulfil an important public interest role of helping to expose wrongdoing.
“In both cases, the proposed directive is offensive and a threat to press freedom in Queensland.”
The QPS said it would review the wording of the policy to avoid any ambiguity and confusion.
More Coverage
Radio’s ‘fifth Beatle’, Bob Rogers, enters Hall of Fame
Legendary Australian broadcaster Bob Rogers has been inducted into the Commercial Radio Hall of Fame, with his extraordinary career recognised at the industry’s annual awards.
Legal eagles scrap over not-so-Good Weekend
High-profile barrister Sue Chrysanthou got the kind of publicity money can’t buy on Saturday when she featured on the cover of the Good Weekend. But some glaring inaccuracies in the piece caught the attention of the legal fraternity.