According to interviews, the freedom of information laws are important for Australian journalists and an area of focused training for new recruits. However, access to government and court documents is still inconsistent.
The Freedom of Information legislation in Australia was seen as such a hurdle to journalistic work that in 2007, nine major media companies, the two public broadcasters, and the MEAA formed the “Right to Know” coalition to address concerns about free speech in Australia (Right to Know, 2010). This coalition set out to work with the Commonwealth and State governments to establish new policy and best practice to improve Australian’s relatively poor world ranking for freedom of speech which, in 2010, led to sweeping changes in the Freedom of Information legislation, making it easier for Australians to get information about the federal government (see Josephi, 2011). Reform of Freedom of Information legislation has led to changes, but the results are inconsistent, with marked advancement in some areas and persistent challenges in others (Lidberg, 2016).
Interviews suggested that, while the freedom of information laws are easy to engage with, attempts are often “not particularly successful”.
