The internet and the development of social media - Facebook, Twitter and
a host of other networking sites - has irrevocably changed the media
landscape. More and more people, especially young people, are getting
their news and information from a bewildering array of internet news
sites and through social networking sites. All this has led to an
`information free-for-all' as Paul Keating so vividly describes it in
his lecture title. In this new media age, the right to privacy is under
challenge. Indeed, there seems to be no general agreement on what
privacy actually means. In this environment, various law reform bodies
have been struggling to develop laws that would enshrine some sort of
right to privacy. In general, the media has resisted any such laws.

Should we have laws that protect our privacy? What would constitute a
breach of privacy? How do we balance the 'free speech and the need for a
free media' argument against an individual's right not to be subjected
to intrusions on their privacy by journalists, photographers, television
crews, bloggers and social networkers?

In his first public lecture at the University of Melbourne, former Prime
Minister Paul Keating will provide his views on these important
questions.