I couldn\u2019t be part of a Writers Festival accepting this dirty money from the Club.<\/p>\n
But a deeper issue for the National Press Club is structural. Its leadership, membership, sponsors and regular speakers are drawn overwhelmingly from the same ecosystem of politicians, senior journalists, lobbyists, public affairs professionals and corporate interests. That proximity creates access, influence and prestige. But it also creates blind spots.<\/p>\n
The Club appears to be less willing to challenge the assumptions of the circles in which it operates and more inclined to manage dissent than engage with it. It is not representative of the broader community despite continuing to speak in its name.<\/p>\n
The Pauline Hanson incident<\/p>\n
This week\u2019s appearance by Pauline Hanson provided a fresh illustration. When Guardian journalist Sarah Martin asked a legitimate question, Senator Hanson responded by attacking the journalist herself. The Club appeared more concerned with managing the event than defending the role of journalism in holding power to account.<\/p>\n
And its response to a peaceful protest during the event also reinforced that perception. <\/p>\n
After a banner was unfurled, the Club issued a statement apologising to Senator Hanson and indicating the matter would be referred to the Australian Federal Police. Whether one agrees with the protest or not, <\/p>\n
the response was disproportionate <\/p>\n
and indicative of an institution increasingly uncomfortable with dissent.<\/p>\n
Viewed individually, each of these incidents could be explained. Collectively, they tell a different story. They suggest an institution that\u2019s defensive and overly comfortable with itself and established powers. This is not merely a political problem. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s a governance problem. <\/p>\n
Because good governance requires independence, transparency and diversity of thought. And most importantly, it requires institutions to subject themselves to the same scrutiny they demand of others.<\/p>\n
Institutions in decline<\/p>\n
Across Australia, trust in institutions is declining. People lose trust when institutions stop practising the values they preach. They lose trust when organisations that celebrate free speech suppress dissent, and when institutions that demand transparency from others resist scrutiny of their own funding, leadership and culture. <\/p>\n
No wonder young Australians are looking elsewhere for information, analysis and debate.<\/p>\n
The National Press Club is not responsible for Australia\u2019s broader crisis of institutional trust. But it has become a symbol of it. It has a history of asking difficult questions of Australia. <\/p>\n
Perhaps it\u2019s now time for Australia to start asking a few difficult questions of the National Press Club.<\/p>\n
Weaponising media. National Press Club and its arms industry sponsors<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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