Both the Liberal/National Coalition and Labor have rushed through laws in the name of national security which are now being used to target journalists and whistleblowers for letting the Australian people know about important issues in our country. Australians deserve to know what our government and institutions are doing in our name, how they are treating Australians. We don't deserve one rule for politicians and their mates, and another for everyone else.

Journalists shouldn't have to choose between reporting the truth and going to jail. We the undersigned call on the parliament to enact a Media Freedom Act that would protect public interest journalism from prosecution and malicious investigations. It should include: 

1. Safeguard journalists and their sources: Journalists should not be forced to reveal confidential data and sources to politicians or government agencies.

2. Protect whistleblowers: all disclosures made in the public interest by whistleblowers to journalists must be protected under the public's right to know.

3. Restore the public's right to know: The public's right to know what is being done in our name must be restored by establishing greater transparency in the issuing of media suppression orders.

4. Reduce the threat of lawsuits by introducing a public interest defence to stop politicians and government agencies threatening journalists with legal action to silence critical reporting.

5. Protect against criminal liability by amending national security legislation to protect journalists engaged in legitimate public interest journalism.