Observers concerned by 'climate of secrecy'
Prominent Australian author and journalist David Marr says the silencing of public servants reflects a disturbing pattern in the last decade.
His thesis outlined in the latest 'Quarterly Essay' warns thuggish spin doctoring and punitive legislation like the 2005 sedition laws, have been used by all Australian governments to shut down criticism, and starve journalists of information the public has the right to know.
DAVID MARR, AUTHOR AND JOURNALIST: The rules of secrecy have been policed as they have never been before in Australia in peace time. There is a squad, the Australian Federal Police. They work tens of thousands of hours chasing down leaks to the press. That's their work. They prosecute. People are supposed to go to jail for telling the public things the public needs to know.
Australia's News Limited chief John Hartigan: Journalists today are thwarted pretty much everywhere they goin getting the most basic information. It means that we're living in astate and a country that's saturated by censorship and secrecy.
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