Country
Australia
Government actions against journalists in Australia
RSF 2026 rank: 33rd of 180. World Press Freedom Index of Reporters Without Borders (RSF); rank 1 is the freest.
The number of entries reflects the depth of this record, not the severity of a country's conduct.
Australia is in Australia and New Zealand, Oceania. The record holds 3 incidents in which the government of Australia, or an official, court or legislature there, limited journalists' ability to report.
Tactics used
- Surveillance and subpoenas: 2 incidents · ladder
- Prior restraint: 1 incident · ladder
- Secrets and espionage laws: 1 incident · ladder
- Shutdowns and blocking: 1 incident · ladder
Heads of government at the time
Incidents by year
2020
| Date | Incident | Tactic | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 April 2020 | Australia's High Court invalidates warrant for raid on journalist Annika Smethurst | Surveillance and subpoenas | Punish | Scott Morrison | Reversed (27 May 2020) |
2019
| Date | Incident | Tactic | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 June 2019 | Australian Federal Police raid the national broadcaster over reporting on alleged war crimes in Afghanistan | Surveillance and subpoenas | Punish | Scott Morrison | Reversed (15 October 2020) |
1944
| Date | Incident | Tactic | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 April 1944 | Australia's wartime government seizes a Sydney newspaper edition under press controls rules | Prior restraint | Silence | John Curtin | Reversed (18 April 1944) |
Ladders: where each tactic has led · Timeline for Australia · Oceania