Discarded CCC laws were clumsy, but they had a point

Proposed laws may have prevented CCC from being used as 'plaything'

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: The Queensland Government's decision to prevent media reporting of complaints to the Crime and Corruption Commission during the caretaker period leading up to the election was thrown out almost as quickly as it was ushered in.

It looked clumsy and broadly out of place in a free society.

Similar laws were proposed by the LNP in 2012 after Anna Bligh referred Campbell Newman to the same watchdog, then called the Crime and Misconduct Commission, but similarly they did not see the light of day.

Even if there is a tendency for politicians to use the CCC as a political football, freedom of the press is a treasured cornerstone of our democracy and must be protected.

Despite this, journalists, like politicians, are part of the human cohort and therefore hardly as pure as the driven snow.

They have their agendas and with the exception of a commendable few, are out there with their "gotcha" microphones, barely concealing their ideological proclivities as they search for a headline that may sway enough voters to back a party that aligns with their sentiments and sympathies.

CCC chairman Alan MacSporran has criticised the role of the media for publicly airing allegations that have damaged the reputations of those involved.

Even civil libertarians such as Terry O'Gorman have argued that there was compelling reason for the law to be changed given how politicians use the CCC as a plaything during an election.

Unfortunately, perception often trumps reality and the miasma of an accusation may remain long after the defendant is cleared.

F Carroll, Moorooka

Originally published as Discarded CCC laws were clumsy, but they had a point