Defence backed curbs on sharing Senate evidence online
Defence secretary Meghan Quinn backed a plan by deputy secretary Celia Perkins to tell a Senate hearing that footage of public servants giving evidence should not be shared on social media, according to Guardian Australia.
Perkins, Defence's deputy secretary of security and estate, told a committee hearing on 4 September that Defence witnesses "do not consent to the reposting of our evidence to social media sites." Greens senator David Shoebridge objected to the statement. He said witnesses do not get to censor what the public sees from an open public hearing.
Perkins pointed to a submission from the secretaries board of the Australian Public Service that raised concerns about evidence being taken out of context. She also alleged that "edited and embellished" videos from previous hearings had generated highly inappropriate and personal commentary. She said the commentary was distressing for staff and invited ridicule, hostility and abuse.
On 25 August, Perkins wrote to Quinn arguing that posts designed to invite outraged responses increase personal risk from malign online actors, including cyber and foreign intelligence threats.
Emails obtained by Guardian Australia under freedom of information show Perkins' planned request was flagged with the offices of Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles and Assistant Defence Minister Peter Khalil. Two days before the hearing, Perkins told two fellow deputy secretaries that "Meghan is fully supportive, as is [Khalil]". She also said she had discussed the plan in a meeting with Khalil and staff from Marles' office.
The Senate committee rejected Perkins' request on the advice of the Senate clerk, the official who advises on the chamber's procedure.
In an opening statement to a Senate estimates hearing, where officials are questioned about their departments, Quinn said she supported the secretaries board submission. She said the treatment of staff after committee hearings could sometimes conflict with an employer's duty to ensure health and safety.
