Media union furious over Pezzullo’s censorship calls

Alex Mitchell | September 26, 2023

Australia’s media alliance has lashed an influential public servant’s “dangerous and unnecessary” attack on press freedom.

Home Affairs secretary Mike Pezzullo agreed to stand down on Monday after a plethora of leaked text messages revealed he used a political back channel to try and influence two former Liberal prime ministers.

One batch of leaked texts showed him suggesting ministerial appointments and sackings to Liberal powerbroker Scott Briggs, and another had him pushing for the government to criminalise reporting some whistleblower-sourced stories.

Mr Pezzullo suggested Australia re-introduce the D-notice reporting system, where a government can stop the publication of certain stories they believe relate to national security.

MEAA Media Federal President Karen Percy said the reports were “particularly alarming”.

“D-notices have been used during wartime on rare occasions for the protection of national security … but Australia is not at war and there is no justification for their use now,” she said in a statement.

“This is just one example of a very disturbing problem that goes beyond one man … successive governments have done little to improve press freedom and as a consequence, we have seen Australia’s slip in world rankings.”

Mr Pezzullo agreed to stand down after Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil asked him to on Monday, pending a review by the public service commission.

It is not suggested the messages show corrupt or illegal conduct but that Mr Pezzullo arguably overstepped the required impartial nature of heading a government department.

Federal cabinet was due to meet in Adelaide on Monday afternoon, where Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed he would receive “further reports” about the situation.

Greens senator David Shoebridge wondered why the new Labor government kept “an internal warrior for the hard right” as a department head when they were elected last year.

“This is a senior public servant who seems to have no understanding of where the limits of being a public servant or a politician are,” he told Sky News.

“How can he ever come back and pretend to do that role as a senior public servant again?”