Press freedom in Australia has deteriorated since September 11, and is threatening the nation's democratic values, a new report says.

The report, Turning up the Heat: The Decline of Press Freedom in Australia 2001-2005, said the new legislation and its strict enforcement has had a serious impact on the freedom of all Australians, including journalists. The report's co-author, MEAA federal secretary Christopher Warren, said the balance had tipped too heavily in favour of security investigators and law enforcement agencies. "We should not accept that press freedom and human rights should be sacrificed to fear,"

sound familiar?