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The ABC and the Guardian have called on One Nation to reverse its ban on select media outlets from press conferences amid warnings the party is practising censorship and actively avoiding public scrutiny.
On Tuesday both outlets were asked to leave a One Nation press conference in Victoria. During the event, the state’s party leader, Warren Pickering, admitted to illegal drug use and drink driving.
Reporters from Guardian Australia and the ABC were escorted to the media appearance at Crown Melbourne by hotel staff, but were asked to leave by One Nation’s national party director, James Ashby, and ushered out by security after identifying who they worked for.
The interaction was recorded by both the ABC and the Herald Sun, with the latter immediately posting about it on social media. The Age, owned by Nine Entertainment, has also been rejected from previous press events. The Australian, which broke the Pickering story, was not barred from attendance but was denied entry to a One Nation event in Sale, Victoria, last month.
In August, Pauline Hanson blocked the ABC, the Age and the Guardian from the announcement of her party’s Victorian election candidates in a tense press conference where she claimed the ABC didn’t provide “fair” reporting.
At that press conference Hanson said “we’ve got Rebel News here, I’m happy with them,” in reference to the rightwing website led by Avi Yemini, who was in attendance.
The ABC’s managing director, Hugh Marks, said the exclusion of the ABC and the Guardian “hinders the legitimate right of Australians to information about a party and its nominees who are seeking election to public office”.
He pointed to comments made by Ashby on Wednesday when he compared One Nation’s relationship with the ABC to one of “domestic violence”.
Appearing on the Today show, Ashby was asked about the party’s refusal to allow journalists to attend its press appearances. He said One Nation didn’t want “morally bankrupt or corrupt media organisations coming into a room”.
“With the ABC, it’s like going back to some domestic violence relationship and just getting beaten every time they come through the door,” he said.
Marks said Ashby’s comments were “inappropriate and offensive on so many levels, especially to victim-survivors”.
“Ashby’s exclusion of the ABC and the Guardian from One Nation press conferences and events hinders the legitimate right of Australians to information about a party and its nominees who are seeking election to public office,” he said.
“It can only be seen as an attempt to avoid scrutiny, control the media and influence the information available to voters. The ban should be removed immediately.”
Guardian Australia’s editor, David Munk, said the Guardian supported the ABC in condemning the “offensive comments” from Ashby.
“The Australian public deserve better from our elected politicians and their representatives,” he said.
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“The job of covering politics the world over is one that will by its nature often bring journalists into conflict with politicians and their parties. But One Nation’s ongoing refusal to admit reporters from the Guardian and the ABC to its press conferences and events is a very concerning departure from the norm.
“Journalism plays a vital role in maintaining a healthy democracy, we must be able to ask questions of politicians so that the public has accurate and trusted information.”
The Guardian has reported extensively on One Nation’s internal finances, party governance and political relationships and substantial financial backing from Australia’s richest person, Gina Rinehart.
After Pauline Hanson’s National Press Club address in June, she attacked Guardian Australia senior correspondent Sarah Martin for asking about her daughter, Lee Hanson, who is employed as a senior adviser to the New South Wales One Nation senator Sean Bell, despite living and working in Tasmania.
In May the Guardian and the ABC were barred from the party’s election night party on the day of the Farrer byelection, when the longtime Liberal member Sussan Ley was ousted by One Nation’s David Farley.
Local ABC reporters were also rejected from a One Nation media event ahead of the byelection.
The Alliance for Journalists’ Freedom executive director, Peter Greste, said Australia’s democracy hinged on the press being able to interrogate politicians on behalf of voters.
“When Warren Pickering said he would rather ban a media outlet than face greater scrutiny, he directly threatened to weaken our democratic system and our right as voters to know what is going on,” he said in a statement.
“Any politician deciding who gets to scrutinise them is practicing censorship, and in a democracy, that’s something we should never accept.”
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