The Triple Zed news team won a national CBAA award for Youth Contribution in 2009. This award recognised the news team's efforts in highlighting youth issues and providing a voice for marginalised groups.
Restrictions to media accessing detention centres
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At the end of last year, the Department of Immigration and Citizenship announced changes to the guidelines that media must adhere to when visiting immigration detention centres. Many journalists and refugee advocates claim that the policy, which includes a ban on all recording devices, is far too restrictive. The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance, which is the union for all those in the media and entertainment industries, has since launched a campaign calling for those guidelines to be withdrawn and a wider consultation occur.
But does this restriction on media access actually affect asylum seekers, and how Australian society views them, in any real way? Brisbane Line asked Assistant Professor of Journalism at the University of Canberra Julie Posetti and Ian Rintoul from the Refugee Action Collective.
Brisbane Line also obtained a statement from the National Communications Manager for the Department of Immigration and Citizenship, Sandi Logan, which is printed in its entirety below.
"The new policy will afford the media greater access to detention facilities. We do not prevent people in detention from phoning journalists or, as was the case before this policy, individuals applying to visit someone in detention as a member of the public (with the same restrictions such as no recording devices). The department is open and accountable in its dealings with the media. The review rights contained in the deed are to protect clients’ privacy and to allow us to process their claims thoroughly. The department has a duty of care to all people in detention and there are clearly privacy considerations involved and these remain paramount. We do not resile from the fact we do not want people put in a position where their public identification could endanger the welfare of their family and friends back home or unnecessarily give rise to a sur place claim. There are also other factors we need to consider, such as the operational security of a facility. The department consulted extensively with other organisations and working media in the development of this final policy. Media are not obliged to participate in tours of facilities if they do not agree with the terms."
