The Media Alliance has written to the federal government protesting a decision to ban online politics and media commentary site Crikey.com.au from the annual budget lockup. This is the third year Crikey, which has a subscription base of 45,000, has been barred from the handing down of the federal budget. Crikey has an accredited journalist within the federal press gallery and is the only outlet to be so banned.

Members at APN newspapers across Australia are holding meetings to consider the company's outsourcing of sub-editing work in New Zealand and Ireland. APN announced the outsourcing of sub-editing work from its New Zealand newspapers and magazines on 22 March 2007. Pagemasters has been contracted to undertake the work with the resultant loss of 70 journalist jobs. Employees have been offered redundancy payments or redeployment. Pagemasters offers employees significantly lower pay and conditions to those enjoyed at APN under its non-union Agreement. Read more information and our members resolution here (pdf format).

The long process of achieving an enterprise agreement is nearly finished. An amended draft that includes the conditions of the NSW Clerical Award but with the pay rises of the editorial enterprise agreement is ready for approval by members employed as editorial assistants and coordinators. The draft of the full agreement, a summary and the latest ACP Bulletin are all available for download below:

• ACP Bulletin 070330
• Full Draft Agreement
• Agreement Summary

The Alliance has written to the Attorney General and the federal Opposition legal affairs spokesman requesting a meeting to discuss the need for proper legislative protection of whistleblowers, following this week’s conviction of former customs officer Allan Kessing, whose leaked information lead to the biggest overhaul of airport security in Australia’s history.

“We must recognise the importance of protecting journalists’ sources and ensuring the correct balance between matters of national and public interest,” says Alliance Federal Secretary Chris Warren. “The conviction of Allan Kessing sounds a warning for Australian journalists about the increasing criminalisation of their daily work, and strikes at the very heart of press freedom,” Read letter to Attorney General here... and Opposition legal affairs spokesman here...