Researchers from Melbourne's Monash University have highlighted how "severe" systemic barriers are preventing Victorian journalists from holding powerful institutions and individuals to account.
"Based on the review of previous studies and the interviews in this project, we conclude that public interest journalism in Victoria is at a crisis point," authors Alicia McMillan and Johan Lidberg wrote.
"This is particularly true for court reporting in the state."
All 12 senior journalists interviewed for the study, commissioned by the Melbourne Press Club, said Victorian courts routinely breached the Open Courts Act "with impunity".
"If the courts in Victoria continue down the path of increased secrecy, they risk losing the trust of the public and jeopardising the concept of natural justice," the report said.
While conceding the study was limited because no chief judges in Victoria's main courts agreed to be interviewed, the authors said the act had "largely failed" to improve open justice since its introduction in 2013.
"Suppression orders have increased, access to documents has become more difficult, and the attitude of some judicial officers towards journalists has deteriorated significantly," Ms McMillan said.
"Reform is urgent and necessary."
The study pointed to Alliance for Journalists' Freedom data showing Victoria accounted for 521 of the 1113 suppression orders issued across Australia in 2023, followed by South Australia (308), NSW (133), the Northern Territory (52) and the ACT (43).
There were 259 suppression orders granted in Victoria in 2012.
In one high-profile instance, the media was prevented from identifying Tom Silvagni, the son of AFL champion Stephen, for 18 months after he was charged with the assault of a woman at his parents' Melbourne home.
Silvagni was found guilty of two counts of rape on December 5 but the suppression order was not lifted until December 10, with the case sparking community outrage.
The report also found Victoria's freedom of information system was "broken" and access to government sources had deteriorated "significantly" during the past 10 years, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Victorian government media advisors were offering information to reporters "on background" so it could not be directly attributed and accessing Victoria Police human sources was "increasingly challenging".
"Anyone who has worked in journalism in Melbourne will know that secrecy, suppression and spin have overtaken openness and disclosure across many of our institutions," press club president Michael Bachelard said.
The study's 10 recommendations included a review of aspects of the Open Courts Act, allowing accredited journalists to record court proceedings by default and freedom of information reforms.
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