Freedom of speech is one of the fundamental pillars of a free and open society.
It is as important as parliamentary democracy and the rule of law in
guaranteeing the freedom and rights of
all Australians.
On Tuesday, 24 March 2009, Australia's Right to Know – a coalition of the nation’s 12 major media organisations - will host the first national televised
conference on the state of our freedom of speech.
The event will give a rare insight into the daily behind-the-scenes workings of
both the journalists whose job it is to get the news and the officials charged
with protecting information that could be harmful.
The one-day conference will bring together academics, lawyers, journalists,
public servants, politicians and interested members of the public to examine Australia’s free speech issues and discuss the best way forward.
The conference will be broadcast by Australia’s Public Affairs channel A-PAC (Foxtel/Austar channel 607), streamed at www.a-pac.tv and hosted by Helen Dalley of Sky News.
Journalist Tony Jones of the ABC’s Lateline will moderate a special Q&A-style debate on Freedom of Information.
Seats at the conference are strictly limited. If you would like to attend, click here to register.
