news, federal-politics

The incoming federal police boss is open to dropping prosecutions of journalists caught up in raids over leaks of national security information. The ABC's Sydney headquarters and the Canberra home of Annika Smethurst, national politics editor for News Corp's Sunday papers, were raided in June over leaked documents. Outgoing Australian Federal Police commissioner Andrew Colvin has confirmed all three journalists involved are still the subjects of ongoing investigations, although they have been put on hold after the media organisations launched court action. But his replacement Reece Kershaw, who will take up the post in October, has said he will review the investigations. "What I'll be asking for when I start in early October is for a briefing and you have an incoming commissioner's brief and I'll be having a look at all those issues," he told reporters in Canberra when asked about the controversy surrounding the raids. "In relation to the media freedoms, I believe in those (for) our democracy and that's the approach I'll take." He said that when it came to proceeding with potential prosecutions of journalists, he was open to asking for a second and even third legal opinion. "It's got to be informed, with all the facts, or the legalities addressed and so on. And that's my style, I will get as much information as I can to see where it's at," he said. However, he said the decision about whether to push ahead with a prosecution would usually rest with the investigating police. Australian Associated Press

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