'Authoritarianism, unchecked can lead to fascism'

Kerry O'Brien is one of the most respected television journalists in Australian history, an antipodean Anderson Cooper. Five years ago he delivered this speech at the Oz equivalent of the Pulitzers.

There was a sense at the time that journalism in Australia was under attack. The Journalism Is Not a Crime campaign began after Australian Federal Police raided ABC's Sydney headquarters and the home of News Corp journalist Annika Smethurst.

Scott Morrison’s Liberal government ordered the raid, and newsrooms across the country joined a public protest calling on the Federal Government to address threats against press freedom.

It’s a terrific speech, and the first paragraphs naturally made me think of the USA in 2024.

Below is the video and the transcript. I’ll make an end of year appeal on a few fronts:

(1) Please become a paid subscriber at Speakola! My get rich slow scheme depends on it. (Speakola is nearly ten years old, it makes less than $10k a year.)

(2) If you loved a speech in 2024, let me know! I’m awarding the Speakolies on Monday at Triple R, and I need help on what the best speeches were. (send reply email or leave a comment)

(3) Come to my film! It’s called ‘Ange and the Boss - Puskas in Australia’ and it’s at the Astor in St Kilda on Dec 4th, the Thornbury Picture House on 21st December (18 seats left) and some amazing kickass opera house in Palermo, Sicily, that looks like it should have been in The White Lotus on December 9th for the Paladino d’Oro. (unfortunately 9.50am!).

My co-director Cam Fink and I will be at all three events for QandA.

Cheers

Tony

Kerry O'Brien: 'Freedom is usually eroded gradually', Walkley Awards - 2019

28 November 2019, Sydney, Australia

This year, for a brief moment in the history of Australian journalism, every significant news organisation in this country put its competitive instincts and its differences to one side and united as one voice to stand against an unacceptable step down the road to authoritarianism.

Authoritarianism unchecked can lead to fascism. Fortunately in this country we’re a long way from that yet, but a study of history amply demonstrates how fascism begins. Freedom is usually eroded gradually. It might happen over years, even decades. Its loss is not necessarily felt day by day, but we will certainly know when it’s gone.

So far the Morrison government has resisted the industry’s appeal for fundamental protections of a free and robust press to be enshrined in legislation at the very least—not placing journalists above the law—but enshrining in a practical and meaningful way their special place as a crucial pillar of democracy.