The Melbourne Press Club applauds the ruling out of charges against journalist Annika Smethurst by the Australian Federal Police.

Ms Smethurst is a respected senior journalist in the Federal Parliamentary Press Gallery, a Board director of the National Press Club of Australia and a Quill award winner.

Smethurst's Canberra home was the subject of a raid by AFP officers last year, seeking evidence associated with the reporting of proposed changes to national security laws.

In April this year the High Court ruled the search warrant used to raid Ms Smethurst's home was invalid on technical grounds. However, until today police had not ruled out charging Ms Smethurst.

The AFP also ruled out the use of collected evidence in any further investigations, saying it has now been destroyed.

In a separate case, ABC journalists Sam Clark and Dan Oakes still wait to hear whether they will be charged for their work highlighting alleged war crimes by Australian soldiers in Afghanistan. The ABC offices were raided a day after Smethurst's home in June last year.

The Melbourne Press Club advocates for the protection of public-interest journalism and whistleblowers to ensure that the Australian public is well informed.

Cathy Bryson
Chief Executive Officer

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For more on this topic watch our recent event - "What are your rights if you are raided?"