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Attorney-general grants limited protection to journalists

Australia's Attorney-General has granted limited protection to journalists from facing criminal charges over their reporting.
Attorney-General Christian Porter has instructed that Commonwealth prosecutors not charge journalists under certain sections of Australia's secrecy laws without first obtaining his approval.
The move comes after two ABC journalists and a News Corp reporter were targeted and now face possible charges after AFP raids earlier this year. 
190611 ABC raids Australian Federal Police Ita Buttrose Scott Morrison talks media news Australia
Federal police officers raided ABC's Sydney offices over stories published in 2017 that suggested Australian troops may have committed war crimes. (AAP Image/David Gray) (AAP)
Details on Mr Porter's directive were released today after he signed it on September 19.
"The direction means where the CDPP independently considers that there is a public interest in a prosecution for one of the relevant offences involving a journalist, the consent of the Attorney-General will also be required as a separate and additional safeguard," he said in a statement.
"This will allow the most detailed and cautious consideration of how an allegation of a serious offence should be balanced with our commitment to freedom of the press."
The AFP defended the raids on journalists as "independent and impartial" despite national and international condemnation of the operations as impinging on free speech.
Federal police raided the ABC's Sydney offices in June over stories published in 2017 that suggested Australian troops may have committed war crimes.
The raid came a day after the AFP searched the home, computer and mobile phone of News Corp journalist Annika Smethurst over a story she wrote last year detailing an alleged government proposal to spy on Australians.
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