Australian Bureaucrats Seek Ban on Edited Parliamentary Clips on Social Media

The secretaries board – the collective of senior department heads chaired by Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet secretary Steven Kennedy – has submitted a recommendation that the Albanese government prohibit the editing and sharing of video excerpts from parliamentary hearings on social media. The board argues that such clips, when posted without full context, expose public-service officials to “ridicule, hostility and abuse” and could harm both individuals and the public sector.

The Guardian

The move follows remarks by Defence Department deputy secretary Celia Perkins during a Senate foreign affairs, defence and trade committee hearing. Perkins asserted that public servants who give evidence do not consent to the reposting of their evidence or likenesses outside the formal parliamentary record. The Senate committee rejected her request for a formal consent rule on advice from the Senate clerk. The board’s submission, released on a Monday, calls for the provision of full-hearing videos and transcripts instead of short clips, and for disabling comments on any posted material.

The Guardian

• Celia Perkins (Deputy Secretary, Defence Department) – “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.” “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,” — Celia Perkins, department deputy secretary

The Guardian

• Steven Kennedy (Secretary, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet) – As chair of the board, he underscored the need for rules that would stop videos from being edited or captioned and would prevent politicians from sharing content that targets officials for ridicule.

The Guardian

Greens senator Steph Hodgins-May also argued that restricting what parliamentarians can post would reduce transparency and accountability.

The Guardian

If adopted, the proposal would shift access from short, shareable excerpts to full-hearing recordings and transcripts, aiming to keep scrutiny focused on evidence rather than personal attacks. Critics contend that such limits could diminish public engagement with parliamentary processes and weaken a key tool for government transparency.

The Guardian