Queensland police have executed a search warrant on the ABC Brisbane offices in Southbank, the ABC has said.
According to the ABC, the warrant related to leaked Queensland cabinet documents, which informed a series of news stories on budget cuts to the environment department under the former Campbell Newman government.
The stories by reporters Mark Willacy and Alexandra Blucher were published in February 2017.
One reported the Newman goverment used a “pain threshold ranking” of one to four, with one considered the “easiest”.
The ranking was revealed in a briefing prepared for the LNP’s cabinet budget review committee, outlining ways to cut 20% of the budget of the department of environment and heritage, and 220 jobs.
The ABC reports also published the documents.
It was also reported the government sold off the profitable Ecofund Queensland, a state-owned company combating climate change whose revenues were set to double.
The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA), said the raid, presumably in search of the journalists’ confidential sources, was an “outrageous attack on press freedom”.
“The role of the media in a healthy democracy is to scrutinise those in power,” said the MEAA’s chief executive, Paul Murphy.
“The execution of a search warrant to hunt for leaked cabinet briefing documents is a belated attempt to pursue journalists’ sources rather than address the matters raised in the legitimate journalism by two ABC reporters.”
Murphy urged Queensland police to direct its investigation towards Queensland politicians rather than “shoot the messenger”.
The warrant was executed by a Queensland state crime command officer on Wednesday afternoon, in relation to a complaint by the Queensland cabinet secretary, Leighton Craig, the ABC said.
A spokeswoman said the ABC was cooperating with police.
Queensland attorney-general Yvette D’Ath and police minister Mark Ryan referred questions to Queensland police.
Craig has been contacted for comment.
With Australian Associated Press
