Australian senator caught napping still fan of press freedom
CANBERRA, Australia – An Australian senator has fallen victim to the press freedom he champions when he was photographed snoozing on his first day in Parliament.
Former veteran journalist Derryn Hinch was caught napping during Governor-General Peter Cosgrove’s speech on Tuesday afternoon opening Australia’s 45th Parliament.
Usually the extraordinary restrictions on press photographers working in the Senate ban such candid and unflattering pictures. Senators can only be snapped when they stand to speak.
But the rules were relaxed on Tuesday because of the special circumstances of Parliament’s first meeting since the July election.
The 72-year-old independent senator on Wednesday conceded on Melbourne Radio 3AW he had snoozed. But being caught out did not change his belief that photographers should not be censored in the Senate.
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