THE HON MARK DREYFUS QC MP
ACTING SHADOW MINISTER FOR COMMUNICATIONS
SHADOW ATTORNEY-GENERAL
SHADOW MINISTER FOR NATIONAL SECURITY
MEMBER FOR ISAACS
MITCH FIFIELD MISSING IN ACTION ON MEDIA REFORM YET AGAIN
Communications Minister Mitch Fifield has once again failed to bring the Turnbull Government’s flawed media reform legislation into the Senate.
For weeks the Minister has talked about introducing the legislation in the media, but in the last sitting week before the Budget the Bill is not even listed for debate.
Despite having the support of Labor to repeal the 75 per cent reach rule and bolster local content following a trigger event, the Minister is stubbornly refusing to split the Bill and see these sensible measures passed through the Parliament.
Labor knows the 75 per cent reach rule is past its used-by date but, unlike the Minister, we understand that any change to the two out of three rule needs to be considered in a broader context, which takes account of Australia’s already highly-concentrated media landscape.
Despite repeated calls from Labor and industry for holistic reform, all the Minister has managed to do is waste more than a year in posturing and blame-shifting.
There could have been a comprehensive, evidence-based inquiry into the ownership and control rules, content rules and licence fees in the context of the emerging digital media environment by now.
To face continuing disruption and change with confidence the media sector needs a comprehensive vision and sound principles-based policy from the Government to help ensure our media laws support a both thriving democracy, and a competitive sector.
There’s no hope for either under this Minister.
MONDAY, 27 MARCH 2017
