Journalists warn of threat to press freedom if ASIC registry privatised

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Eighty-four journalists have signed an open letter to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull urging him not to privatise the ASIC registry, and to make access to the database free. From GetUp:

PRESS FREEDOM UNDER THREAT: DON’T PRIVATISE THE ASIC DATABASE

To Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull

Each and every day, we are on the front lines exposing shady corporate affairs.

We scrutinise the world’s richest, most powerful corporations. We hunt down the multinational tax dodgers who funnel billions of dollars offshore each year. We work to expose the shell companies who exploit, traffic, launder, embezzle and bribe.

That’s why your decision to sell off Australia’s corporate database to a private monopoly operator has left us with no choice but to speak out. Putting the corporate database under corporate control threatens our ability to investigate illicit and unethical behaviour.

Australia’s corporate database contains over ten million records of financial data from over two million corporations.

The charges levied by your government to access these public records are already some of the highest in the world. We routinely run out of money to purchase financial statements to properly investigate a particular company or industry.

In New Zealand and the United Kingdom, this critical public information is free.

The cost of accessing this public information is already a significant barrier to proper corporate accountability. Privatisation will see this barrier entrenched and new barriers may be erected.

This stands in opposition to the principle of freedom of access to public information, which oils the wheels of our democracy.

The public owns the information stored in the ASIC registry and, in funding ASIC with their tax dollars, has already paid for it.

We call on the Prime Minister and all political leaders to use ASIC to make a commitment to corporate transparency and the well-established benefits of free public company records; to work to reduce the current barriers to access, rather than erect new ones.

Signed by

Adam Gartrell, National Political Correspondent, Sun Herald & Sunday Age

Adele Ferguson, Investigative Reporter, Fairfax

Amanda Bryan, Editor, Food & Drink Business

Andrew Robertson, Reporter, The Business at ABC TV

Andrew Webster, Video News Editor, The Age

Anne Miller, Editor, South Burnett Online

Anthony Klan, Investigative Reporter, The Australian

Artie Stevens, News Director, Australian Independent Radio News

Ben Schneiders, Investigative Reporter, The Age

Ben Stone, Managing Editor, Blitz Publications

Bernard Kellerman, Deputy Editor, Banking Day

Bill West, Sports Writer, Midland Express

Bojun Chiswell, Freelancer

Brendan Savage, Video Journalist, Ten Eyewitness News

Bruce Belbin, Editor, Railway Digest

Calla Wahlquist, Reporter, Guardian Australia

Cameron Atfield, Journalist, Brisbane Times

Campbell Phillips, Editor, Wild Magazine

Candice Barnes, Producer, 6PR

Carol Neist, Arts Writer, Freelancer

Carolyn Boyd, Business, Property and Profile Writer, Freelancer

Cassandra Briedis, Journalist, Prime7 News

Charles Pauka, Editor, Transport and Logistics News

Chris Graham, Publisher/Editor, New Matilda

Chris Vedelago, Investigative Reporter, The Age

Conor Duffy, 730 Report, ABC

Dan Box, Crime Reporter, The Australian

David Donovan, Managing Editor, Independent Australia

Dean Sewell, Photojournalist, Freelancer

Dennis Atkins, National Affairs Editor, The Courier Mail

Dinesh Malhotra, Managing Editor, Bharat Times

Donald Knowler, Environmental Reporter, Freelancer

Eden Gillespie, Print Editor, Blitz Magazine

Emily Stewart, Business Reporter, ABC National Business Reporting team

Erik Jensen, Editor, The Saturday Paper

Eugenia Pavlopoulou, Online News Editor, Ethnic Publications

Eva Wiland, Editor, Thomson Reuters

Fiona Hudson, FOI Editor, Herald Sun

Geoff Vivian, The Great Southern Weekender

Georgia Wilkins, Business Reporter, Fairfax

Gina McColl, Investigative Reporter, The Age

Greg Miskelly, NSW State Coverage Producer, ABC

Guy Menzies­ Saunders, Foreign Liaison, Seven News

Hannah Pollak, Business Columnist, Sydney Morning Herald/The Age

Hannah Thompson, Producer, ABC

Ian Rogers, Managing Editor, Banking Day

Ian Davis, Chief Executive, Inside Publishers

Janice De Rose, Senior Journalist, Camden Haven Courier

Jayne Stinson, Court Reporter, Seven News

Jess Hill, Investigative Journalist, Freelancer

Joanne McCarthy, Senior Reporter, Newcastle Herald

John Kelly, Australian Independent Media Network

Julie Lincoln, Photojournalist, Freelancer

Justine Parker, Finance Reporter, ABC News

Kath Ziesing, Editor, Australian Defence Magazine

Kathy McLeish, ABC News

Kym Bergmann, Editor, Asia Pacific Defence Reporter

Leigh Dayton, Freelancer

Lisa Martin, Political Reporter, AAP

Liz Hobday, Reporter, ABC News

Marcus Strom, Science Editor, SMH & Board Member, MEAA

Mark Colvin, PM, ABC

Margot Foster, Freelancer

Melody Kemp, Environmental Reporter, Freelancer

Michael Bachelard, Investigations Editor, The Age

Michael Carey, Day Editor/COS, NITV News

Michael West, Business Reporter, Freelancer

Muriel Porter, Freelancer

Nick McKenzie, Investigative Reporter, The Age & Four Corners

Olga Galacho, Business Writer, Freelancer

Owen Jacques, Online News Editor, APN

Paddy Manning, Business Reporter, Freelancer

Paul Lekakis, Journalist, The New Daily

Paul Sullivan, Editor, Pex Publications

Paul Syvret, Assistant Editor, Courier Mail

Peter Lewis, Editorial Cartoonist, Newcastle Herald

Rudi Maxwell, Editor, The Koori Mail

Simon Holt, Editor In Chief, Brisbane Times

Simon Johanson, Business Reporter, Fairfax Media

Steven Kiernan, Editor, CRN

Susan Lannin, Business Reporter, ABC

Tim Stoney, Freelancer

Wayne Flower, Herald Sun

Zoe Carter, Managing Director, OUTinPerth

No, no, no. It’s all a part of “civilising capitalism”.

About the author
Leith van Onselen is Chief Economist at the MB Fund and MB Super. He is also a co-founder of MacroBusiness. Leith has previously worked at the Australian Treasury, Victorian Treasury and Goldman Sachs.