Secrecy laws in spotlight as Queensland journalist faces possible jail for disclosing sources

There is a landmark court case underway in Queensland that threatens to jail a journalist for up to five years, yet his identity cannot be revealed, the case was heard almost entirely behind closed doors, and access to all transcripts has been restricted.

It was lucky the media knew it was even on because it was absent from the daily court list.

Sensitive court matters are often given titles like ‘One Matter’ but not to list a case at all was described by one senior lawyer as “extraordinarily rare”.

The media found out because, well, journalists find things out and that is what’s at the heart of a case that threatens to radically change the way the media operates in Queensland.

According to a previous Supreme Court case, the journalist…