This is MEAA’s submission to the Intelligence and ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Security Legislation Monitor’s review of secrecy offences in part 5.6 of the Criminal Code 1995.
While MEAA recognises that some information should be withheld where there are genuine risks to national security, this should not automatically override transparency and public interest journalism.
Transparency is crucial for Australians to have faith and confidence in our national security agencies, systems, and processes. These provisions in the Criminal Code – and the hundreds of other secrecy clauses across federal legislation – undermine the public’s right to know.
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