Economy
Newsgate: Ever closer to Cameron. Privacy move in Oz
Full reports … and follow this extraordinary story:
• ABC News 24
• The Guardian
• New York Times
• Meanwhile in Canberra: Move on privacy law:
AUSTRALIANS could secure new rights to defend their privacy in the wake of the phone hacking scandal that has engulfed Rupert Murdoch’s media empire.
The Gillard government will today move towards new laws that would allow Australians to sue for damages in the event of a serious invasion of their privacy.
Ahead of today’s announcement, federal Privacy Minister Brendan O’Connor told The Age the government was ”very serious about having this discussion” following the UK scandal. He said he was confident any change would preserve reasonable media freedom. ”There are two ideals we uphold as a government – freedom of speech, and people’s right to have a private life,” Mr O’Connor said.
…
The looming privacy debate comes as Prime Minister Julia Gillard yesterday provoked News Ltd – the Australian arm of Mr Murdoch’s media empire – by declaring the company would face ”hard questions” in the wake of the UK scandal.
”When people have seen telephones hacked into, when people have seen individuals grieving have to deal with all of this, then I do think that causes them to ask some questions here in our country, some questions about News Ltd here,” she said.
”Obviously, News Ltd has got a responsibility to answer those questions when they’re asked.”
Government sources suggested Ms Gillard had not intended such a sharp rebuke to Rupert Murdoch’s Australian operation, which includes The Australian and Herald Sun.
But her intervention only hours after Rupert and James Murdoch were grilled by a British parliamentary committee generated international headlines and further escalated tensions between Labor and News.
…
News Ltd chairman John Hartigan issued a stinging rebuke, declaring in a statement: ”The Prime Minister’s comments seek to draw a link between News Corporation operations in the UK and those here in Australia. The comments were unjustified and regrettable. There is absolutely no connection between events in the UK and our business in Australia.”
Opposition communications spokesman Malcolm Turnbull defended Mr Murdoch and said the Prime Minister had an obligation to nominate the questions she thought needed to be answered by the Australian operation.
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/national/canberra-to-move-on-privacy-law-20110720-1hp19.html#ixzz1SgZYQZ9Z