# Oceania

Government actions against journalists in Oceania

The number of entries reflects the depth of this record, not the severity of a country's conduct.

## Countries

- [Australia](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/au) ([RSF 2026 rank: 33rd of 180](https://rsf.org/en/index))

## Tactics used

- [Prior restraint](https://thewaronnews.com/incidents?continent=oceania&tactic=prior_restraint), ladder: https://thewaronnews.com/ladders/prior_restraint?continent=oceania
- [Secrets and espionage laws](https://thewaronnews.com/incidents?continent=oceania&tactic=secrets_and_espionage_laws), ladder: https://thewaronnews.com/ladders/secrets_and_espionage_laws?continent=oceania
- [Surveillance and subpoenas](https://thewaronnews.com/incidents?continent=oceania&tactic=surveillance_and_subpoenas), ladder: https://thewaronnews.com/ladders/surveillance_and_subpoenas?continent=oceania
- [Shutdowns and blocking](https://thewaronnews.com/incidents?continent=oceania&tactic=shutdowns_and_blocking), ladder: https://thewaronnews.com/ladders/shutdowns_and_blocking?continent=oceania

## Incidents

| Date | Incident | Country | Tactic | Head of government | Outcome |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 15 April 2020 | [Australia's High Court invalidates warrant for raid on journalist Annika Smethurst](https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2020-australia-high-court-invalidates-smethurst-warrant) | [Australia](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/au) ([RSF 2026 rank: 33rd of 180](https://rsf.org/en/index)) | [Surveillance and subpoenas](https://thewaronnews.com/tactics/surveillance_and_subpoenas) | [Scott Morrison](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/scott-morrison) | Reversed (27 May 2020) |
| 5 June 2019 | [Australian Federal Police raid the national broadcaster over reporting on alleged war crimes in Afghanistan](https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2019-australia-afp-raids-abc-afghan-files) | [Australia](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/au) ([RSF 2026 rank: 33rd of 180](https://rsf.org/en/index)) | [Surveillance and subpoenas](https://thewaronnews.com/tactics/surveillance_and_subpoenas) | [Scott Morrison](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/scott-morrison) | Reversed (15 October 2020) |
| 16 April 1944 | [Australia's wartime government seizes a Sydney newspaper edition under press controls rules](https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/1944-australia-calwell-newspaper-seizure) | [Australia](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/au) ([RSF 2026 rank: 33rd of 180](https://rsf.org/en/index)) | [Prior restraint](https://thewaronnews.com/tactics/prior_restraint) | [John Curtin](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/john-curtin) | Reversed (18 April 1944) |

Ladders: https://thewaronnews.com/ladders

Download incidents in Oceania. CSV, JSON or Markdown. CC BY 4.0; credit "The War On News, thewaronnews.com".
- CSV: https://thewaronnews.com/continents/oceania?format=csv
- JSON: https://thewaronnews.com/continents/oceania.json
- Markdown: https://thewaronnews.com/continents/oceania.md

Source page: https://thewaronnews.com/continents/oceania. The War On News, CC BY 4.0.