While public broadcasters play an important role, privately owned media have large audiences and three groups dominate media ownership. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), is the largest public broadcaster, operating TV channels, radio stations and online publications. The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA), the country’s foremost media union, has long expressed concern about the concentration of media ownership. The problem has been made worse by mergers and acquisitions of the largest media organisations. Newsrooms have suffered in recent years from the negative effects of digital transformation, cost reductions and layoffs.

The owners of the big media companies have close ties to political leaders, which fuels doubts about the editorial independence of their outlets. In 2021, a Senate committee confirmed the existence of a growing culture of secrecy within the administration, informal pressure to prevent the revelation of certain matters, and intimidation of whistleblowers in the name of protecting national security. The independence of the national public broadcaster, ABC, is protected by law. It is regarded as Australia’s most scrutinised media outlet and is often accused of lacking independence but, at the same time, is also seen as more trustworthy than any other media outlet.  

Australia has ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Press freedom is not expressly protected in the Federal Constitution but the High Court has recognised an implied freedom of political communication. Some local legislatures have explicitly recognised freedom of expression through charters and laws. However, federal laws tightening national security — particularly those enacted after the 11 September terror attacks in the US — have hampered press freedom and the free flow of public-interest information. This notably includes laws on foreign interference, the disclosure of public-interest information by government officials, incitement to racial and religious hatred, and data surveillance. 

The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA), a strong advocate of press freedom in Australia, has noted the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated closures and workforce reductions in regional media outlets, which were already in decline before the onset of the pandemic. The media industry has been struck by the closure of several mastheads and redundancies that have resulted in the loss of thousands of journalism jobs. The government responded by offering limited financial support to local and regional newspaper publishers and promising to support local news and journalism jobs.

Overt censorship is extremely rare, but the media do reflect certain biases, such as the culture of “mateship” – a notion of camaraderie specific to Australian society – which tends to marginalise certain groups, especially women. Cases of sexism and gender discrimination are a persistent problem. 

Australian journalists do not face violence or arbitrary detention but the perception of their security situation is worrying. In a 2021 study, nearly 90 per cent said they feared “an increase in threats, harassment or intimidation,” including threats from the government. Raids by the federal police on the home of a political journalist in Canberra and the headquarters of the ABC in 2019 caused widespread concern. While such raids have not recurred since, journalists are worried about other threats, such as defamation suits, contempt of court charges and attacks on social media.