Opinion: Raid on ABC Office means press freedom now dead

Well, Australia, welcome to the new “Third Reich“. With the raid on the ABC office, it is safe to say that free press and by extension Australia’s liberal democracy and are officially dead.

The raid on the ABC office is not about Homeland Security, or the publishing of sensitive information. What it is truly about is the silencing of the press within Australia.

The reality is that Australia has become the most oppressive, western liberal democracy. And this is an idea that has also been reported by the former Australian Human Rights Commissioner Gillian Triggs.

The truth is the free press in Australia is dead from today. You can mark it on your calendar that had died today, and that its funeral will be over the next few days.

So what does this mean for the public? Speaking to the ABC investigative journalist John Lyons said “This message to the whistleblowers or people around the country who see corruption happening at the local council or in the hospital around the corner…What messages is – Be careful because we can hit with the full force of the law.”

ABC editorial director Craig McMurtie said on the ABC “to have a warrant executed on the headquarters of the National Public broadcast in this way I can’t state It enough, this is an unwelcome development. It is really serious and we take it very, very seriously.” He also said that “It’s not the Australia I know. …And it’s not what we expect.”

Press freedom is integral to a liberal Western democracy. It is the soul of justice. It is what keeps things right. It’s what helps give a fair go. That is now dead today in Australia.