In a first for Australia and the Pacific, the University of Queensland, home of Australia's oldest school of journalism, has won the right to host UNESCO's global World Press Freedom Day conference and Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize-giving ceremony in Brisbane on 3 May 2010. The theme is 'Freedom of Information: The Right to Know', focusing particularly on freedom of expression issues in the Asia-Pacific region. Organisers plan to also encourage a wider 'fringe' program of activities to promote the importance of media freedom to the general public. Let's hope by that time that a series of very positive host-country reports are justified by developments on Freedom of Information reform, whistleblowers protection, shield-laws for journalists, winding back some of our over-reaching secrecy and anti-terrorism laws, clear principles regarding privacy and the right to know and publish, and the generous approach to court suppression orders in some jurisdictions.
This blog takes an interest in issues associated with Freedom of Information (FOI) and privacy legislation in Australia. Information contained on this site is general in nature and does not constitute legal advice. Follow Peter Timmins on Twitter: @foiguru Follow the open government cause through the Australian Open Government Partnership Network. www.opengovernment.org.au and @opengovau
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
UNESCO World Press Freedom Conference in Brisbane in 2010.
In a first for Australia and the Pacific, the University of Queensland, home of Australia's oldest school of journalism, has won the right to host UNESCO's global World Press Freedom Day conference and Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize-giving ceremony in Brisbane on 3 May 2010. The theme is 'Freedom of Information: The Right to Know', focusing particularly on freedom of expression issues in the Asia-Pacific region. Organisers plan to also encourage a wider 'fringe' program of activities to promote the importance of media freedom to the general public. Let's hope by that time that a series of very positive host-country reports are justified by developments on Freedom of Information reform, whistleblowers protection, shield-laws for journalists, winding back some of our over-reaching secrecy and anti-terrorism laws, clear principles regarding privacy and the right to know and publish, and the generous approach to court suppression orders in some jurisdictions.
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Thanks, Peter. Looking forward to your input and further thoughts on this very important topic.
ReplyDeleteKind regards,
Martin Hadlow
UQ/SJC
Yes Peter, it will be interesting to hear how you view the situation in the pacific, especially countries like Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. Whilst the focus has been on Fiji, everyone is forgetting that Vanuatu has had so much problems with government interfering with the media or just plain violence against media workers relating to their stories.
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