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Wednesday, July 4, 1973
UNAUTHORISED DISCLOSURES COULD BE CRIMINAL OFFENCE
*
All possible steps are taken to guard against unauthorised
disclosure of confidential matters which might be contrary to the public's
interest, the Secretary for Home Affairs, the Hon. Jack Cater, said today.
The government regarded this problem very seriously, he said,
and civil servants were liable to disciplinary action if they leaked
out restricted information.
Mr. Cater was speaking in the Legislative Council in answer to
a question by the Hon. Joyce Symons who wanted to know whether the government
would take effective steps to prevent the disclosure to the press of
confidential matters under discussion.
He said government officers and those who had access to classified
information were subject to the Official Secrets Act under which unauthorised
disclosure of confidential matters could constitute a criminal offence.
Ir. Cater stressed, however, that this in no way affected the
government's attitude towards the "proper free flow of information of
public interest to the community through the media."
He noted that relations between government departments and the
media had continued to improve through more direct contact which he personally
advocated and regarded as being of "great value"
·
Mr. Cater assured Mrs. Symons that a thorough investigation would
be made into any case she might know of in which breaches of regulations
might have occurred.
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