Prime Minister says journalists should not hold any fear of the new metadata laws giving up sources . Tony Abbott said police accessing his metadata when he was a journalist in the 80s and early 90s was never a problem . Comment: The government 's proposed laws focus heavily on the retention of users ' computer footprints .
Prime Minister says journalists should not hold any fear of the new metadata laws giving up sources . Tony Abbott said police accessing his metadata when he was a journalist in the 80s and early 90s was never a problem . The Internet and email did not come to be until 1992 - just as Tony Abbott 's reporting career was coming to a close . The government 's proposed laws focus heavily on the retention of users ' computer footprints .