Australia's secrecy laws were under the microscope on Monday as a special hearing opened in Canberra.
Australia's secrecy laws are being reviewed by the Independent National Security Legislation Monitor.The head of ASIO has warned some foreign intelligence services may be using journalism as a cover as journalists themselves become a target for foreign intelligence services.
He said some of the issues raised included whether materials were being appropriately classified as secret, and if assessments of the potential harm of disclosing sensitive material were being done properly.Mostly, these affect Commonwealth officers, although some apply to everyone else, including journalists.
"At this stage of the review I am minded to agree that at the very least merely receiving information should be removed from this offence.""Once someone has received something then the deterrence has not had its effect," Mr Burgess said. Senior lawyer at the Human Rights Law Centre Kieran Pender warned the current laws were having a chilling effect on whistleblowers.But Kieran Pender from the Human Rights Law Centre said the current laws were having a "chilling" effect on whistleblowers and journalists alike.
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