Free the Press: The Media Freedom Bill Campaign

Australia's the only liberal democracy without legal press protection. You'll help change that.

The Alliance for Journalists' Freedom (AJF) is partnering with the ANU McCusker Institute to develop a strategic campaign and advocacy initiative around their proposed Media Freedom Bill. This internship provides students with hands-on experience in policy advocacy, campaign strategy, media relations, and political engagement. Students will rotate through multiple work streams across the campaign, gaining broad exposure to both advocacy strategy and implementation, as well as insight into how policy change happens at the intersection of journalism, law, and politics.

This work matters urgently. Australia is the only liberal democracy without constitutional or legislated protection for press freedom. Since 9/11, Australia has passed 120 pieces of security legislation—more than any other country on earth—many of which constrain journalists' ability to investigate government and protect their sources. Meanwhile, public trust in Australian media has fallen to among the lowest in the democratic world. This campaign seeks to rebuild both legislative protection and public confidence in quality journalism.

The Media Freedom Bill represents a coordinated effort to strengthen protections for journalism and media freedom in Australia through two interconnected reforms:

A Media Freedom Act: Legislation that injects a positive obligation to account for media freedom into how laws are made and interpreted, protecting journalists from unwarranted state interference (drawing on human rights frameworks from Queensland, the ACT, and Victoria)

Journalism Australia: A voluntary professional association that allows journalists to demonstrate accountability to ethical standards and professional codes, restoring public trust in quality reporting

Through this campaign, you will help:

Build momentum and readiness for future political windows by developing advocacy and campaign strategy

Refresh policy and legal analysis to contextualise the bill within current media freedom debates

Create communications materials that translate the bill's intent for public and stakeholder audiences

Establish campaign infrastructure (databases, contact lists, outreach tracking) to support coordinated engagement

Through this project, students will:

Understand how policy advocacy campaigns operate in Australia, including the interplay between media, politics, and civil society

Develop practical skills in research, stakeholder mapping, database management, and campaign coordination

Learn to translate complex policy into accessible communications for different audiences

Build networks across journalism, civil society, and policy spheres

Apply critical thinking to media freedom issues and Australia's position relative to international standards

Contribute meaningfully to work that directly affects pressing societal issues

You will work across a range of campaign functions, including:

Research and mapping: Building intelligence on MPs, Senators, media organisations, and other stakeholders with a focus on their positions on media freedom issues

Campaign coordination: Tracking submissions, managing endorsement outreach, and maintaining supporter databases

Communications: Building templates, drafting social media content, creating supporter packs, and developing briefing materials

Policy analysis: Verifying claims, building legislative context, and producing fact-check materials

International research: Comparing Australia's media freedom landscape against comparable democracies

Event logistics: Supporting parliamentary engagement activities and stakeholder meetings

To be successful in this role, you should:

Familiarise yourself with the draft Media Freedom Bill and its core components – see attached ‘Prospectus on the Media Bill Reform Model’

Understand current debates around press freedom, media ownership, and journalism in Australia

Be comfortable with research, data management, and using spreadsheets and databases

Have good written communication skills and attention to detail

Demonstrate curiosity about political processes, journalism, and policy advocacy

Be organised and able to manage multiple work streams simultaneously

Over the course of the project, students will deliver:

Power maps: Comprehensive profiles of federal MPs and Senators, including voting records and positioning on media freedom

Stakeholder intelligence: Mapping of media organisations, national security agencies, and other key players

Contact databases: Clean, organised CRM-ready datasets of MPs, staffers, journalists, and other contacts

Research briefs: International precedent analysis, 'why now' framing materials, and legislative landscape summaries

Campaign materials: Social media templates, supporter packs, communications assets, and correspondence templates

Tracking systems: Submission trackers, RSVP systems, and endorsement coordination tools

By the end of this project, the campaign will have:

Comprehensive, up-to-date stakeholder intelligence ready for targeted engagement

A robust campaign infrastructure to support coordinated outreach and public engagement

Communications materials that translate policy for journalists, parliament, and the public

Ready-to-use briefing documents that contextualise the bill within national and international frameworks

An engaged network of media organisations, politicians, civil society, and concerned citizens

For the Partner

Access to student teams to support coordination-heavy, high-impact campaign tasks

Research, policy, and evaluation capacity from university partners

Technical and governance support that strengthens organisational sustainability

Communications and digital expertise to amplify campaign messaging

Fresh perspectives and critical thinking on media freedom advocacy

For the students

Hands-on experience in policy advocacy and political engagement

Meaningful work that directly contributes to an issue of genuine social importance

Professional networks across journalism, civil society, and policy spheres

Practical skills in research, campaign coordination, communications, and stakeholder engagement

Deep understanding of how media freedom intersects with democracy, journalism practice, and political process

Portfolio pieces demonstrating real-world impact and professional capability

Additional Advice

This internship suits students who are intellectually curious about journalism, media, and democracy, and who want to understand how change happens in the policy space. You don't need prior experience in advocacy or journalism, but you should be willing to learn quickly and take initiative. The work is varied and sometimes involves tight deadlines and multiple projects running concurrently, so flexibility and strong time management are essential.

The Alliance for Journalists' Freedom is a lean organisation with significant sector credibility and deep networks. Your work will be seen and valued by experienced professionals, media leaders, and policymakers. This represents an opportunity to contribute to genuine systemic change around media freedom in Australia while building skills and networks that will serve you throughout your career.