Finbar O'MallonVerified account

Ok, the Department of Home Affairs is up parliamentary intelligence committee's inquiry on press freedom. This includes secretary Michael Pezzullo.

Pezzullo repeats his view that leakers should face the full force of the law. "If that involves a term of imprisonment, so be it."

Pezzullo repeats he doesn't think there's a press freedom "crisis" . "I think there is an issue around media and government engagement." He also didn't seem to like journalists making judgement calls on national security when they don't have experience in the round.

This goes back to what the inquiry heard yesterday arvo, that intelligence officials should be holding regular briefings with journalists. https://au.news.yahoo.com/spooks-brief-journalists-expert-084908950--spt.html …

Pezzullo says he supports a free press exposing illegal operations by defence or intelligence agencies. But he says Australia doesn't do that. "We don't run off the book programs that are not known to this parliament."

Pezzullo: "The free media is a last resort."

Previous Pezzullo tweet in this thread was wrong. He was more saying he didn't know anyone at "at the Marxist-Leninist Broadcasting Corporation", as in your classic Trot papers.