More importantly, it would concentrate journalists’ minds on some of the other key purposes of the media (outside of making money, increasing market share or living within a limited budget). These other key purposes were depicted by Paul
Chadwick as being to help civil society to cohere, to lubricate democracy and to help to create and recreate the civic meaning of Australia.
If a Bill of Rights only creates a wild expectation that journalists and others can speak their mind without restraint it has failed.
Australian democracy has come a long way on the simple reliance of the occassional and voluntary contribution of journalists, and others, to free speech.
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It is my view that a Bill of Rights would make such contributions the norm rather than the treasured exception. I hope that another Tasmanian can stand here in a 100 years time and debate a more provocative topic:
"How come after a 100 years of a Bill of Rights Australian journalism hasn't improved?"
This is an edited extract of one of three speeches given to the fourth 2000 George Munster forum, organised by the Centre for Independent Journalism and held at The Museum of Sydney on 23 October 2000. A full
transcript of the forum is available at here or can be purchased as an audio tape from the ABC.
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