Submission from the Australian Press Council to the Senate Finance and Public Administration Committee on its inquiry into Bills concerning political honesty and accountability.

6 March 2001

Submission

The Council is concerned with the ethical standards in the print media, dealing with public concerns with the editorial and article sections of newspapers and magazines. The Council does not usually concern itself with advertising nor with the commercial operations of publications. In this instance, with Bills that address the ethical standards of members of Parliament and with political advertising, the matters lie outside the Council's general remit.

Nonetheless, the Council makes a specific submission to the committee dealing with the Bills.

The Council expresses some concern with the wording of the proposed amendment 6 of the Electoral Amendment (Political Honesty) Bill 2000. The amendment seeks to give to the Electoral Commission and/or the Federal Court the power to request or order the 'advertiser' to publish a retraction in specific terms and specified manner and form.

In the Council's view, such an amendment might have the unfortunate consequence of directing the publisher of a newspaper or magazine, or the licence holder of a broadcaster, to publish or broadcast material as ordered by the commission or the court, not as agreed to by the parties. The section should be amended to ensure that the advertiser, and the advertiser alone, is responsible to the commission or the court as the result of an inaccuracy or misleading statement.

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