Journalists won’t be criminalised for holding some Australian government secrets after law reforms

Attorney general Mark Dreyfus says he will consider if the definition of ‘causing harm to Australia’s interests’ should be broadened following a review. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

Journalists will no longer face criminal prosecution for merely receiving some secret government information even without making it public, under changes the federal attorney general has announced to national secrecy laws.

Mark Dreyfus has also agreed to repeal parts of the law that make it a criminal offence to publish any information stamped “protected”, “secret” or “top secret” – meaning actual or likely harm is determined by the content of a document, not just the label on it.