Media Regulation in Australia

A free press is indispensable in facilitating information flows between citizens and government. The High Court has explicitly recognised that disseminating news and information is vital to the maintenance of a free and democratic society?. However, with this freedom comes responsibility to meet fundamental standards of fairness, accuracy, truthfulness and transparency. Over the past two years, there has been extensive debate in Australia and internationally about whether the media should be regulated to ensure compliance with these standards and, if so, what form this regulation might take.