Australia's most senior public servants have called on the Albanese government to prohibit the editing and sharing of video footage from parliamentary hearings on social media by politicians, in a move aimed at curbing online ridicule and abuse. The secretaries board, comprising the heads of government departments and chaired by Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet secretary Steven Kennedy, expressed concern that material from hearings is being presented online without proper context.
Officials exposed to hostility and abuse
In a submission published on Monday, the board stated that politicians and political parties sharing such footage expose officials to “ridicule, hostility and abuse.” The board emphasised that while evidence given to committees is on the public record, officials have not consented to the subsequent use of their image or its use by parliamentarians for party-political purposes.
“In our view, the use of officials’ likenesses and their evidence in this way has the potential to be harmful both to the individual and the public sector as a whole,” the submission read.
Proposed rules and alternatives
If the recommendations are not adopted, the board called for rules that would prevent videos from being edited or having captions added. Politicians would also be barred from sharing content or commentary that targets individual officials for ridicule or harassment.
The board proposed making full hearing footage and transcripts available instead of clips, and disabling comments, arguing that this would ensure “that scrutiny remains focused on evidence, administration and accountability rather than becoming personal.” The proposal also raised concerns that some MPs, particularly newer ones, may lack a clear understanding of the roles and responsibilities of public servants compared with government ministers, and called for clearer explanations.
Defence official's testimony and Greens' response
The push follows testimony last week from Celia Perkins, deputy secretary of the defence department, who told a parliamentary hearing that public servants giving evidence do not consent to footage being shared on social media. “They do not consent to the reposting of our evidence to social media sites or the reproduction of our likenesses for the purposes outside the framework of the parliament and the transparent public proceedings of this committee,” Perkins said. The Senate foreign affairs, defence and trade committee rejected her request on the advice of the Senate clerk.
Greens senator Steph Hodgins-May told Guardian Australia that the public has a right to see footage from hearings into government scrutiny. “Bureaucrats shouldn’t get to decide where to draw the line on parliamentary scrutiny, particularly when they’re the ones being scrutinised,” she said. “Of course debate should be respectful, but restricting what parliamentarians can post from public proceedings is not the answer.”
Hodgins-May warned that the proposal “looks like an attempt to take the teeth out of parliamentary scrutiny,” adding, “Australians deserve more transparency and accountability, not less. And frankly, if this scrutiny wasn’t having an impact, they wouldn’t be so worried about it.”
The secretaries board includes all departmental chiefs, the Australian Public Service commissioner, and the chief executive of the National Indigenous Australians Agency.
