Stephen Smith (Perth, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Industry, Infrastructure and Industrial Relations) Share this | Hansard source

You did. You exactly did. So the PBL example may well be available under the current law, and what Mr Stokes and Channel 7 are doing—apparently, purchasing 14.9 per cent of the West Australianis clearly available under current law. As the member for Perth, let me deal with the Channel 7/West Australian example. I said in my remarks in the second reading debate:

… in my home state of Western Australia, in its capital city of Perth, a person who owns Channel 7 and the West Australian would have a tremendous capacity to influence the political debate.

That is because, on a good day, Channel 7 rates 40—if you want to get a message to the Western Australian community, get yourself on Channel 7—and, on a bad day, the front page of the West Australian will drive electronic media interest in Western Australia. So, if you own the West Australian newspaper, the monopoly newspaper in a capital city, and you own Channel 7, that gives you significant influence—too much influence for one organisation, in my view. I am not being critical of Mr Stokes; I have a high regard for Mr Stokes. I have known Mr Stokes for a long time. But again it comes down to this: it is not about good individuals or bad individuals and it is not about good companies or bad companies; it is about bad public policy. The West Australian/Channel 7 illustration, which is not prevented by the four-five voices rule of the government or by the two out of three rule, will have an adverse effect on diversity in Western Australia and Perth—and that can be replicated throughout the nation, throughout the Commonwealth.

Senator Conroy, the shadow minister for communications, said that he expected there would be a frenzy. No-one quite expected, not even the market, that we would see the beginning of the frenzy before the bill had even passed the parliament, before the bill had been proclaimed. But it is quite clear we will see a massive concentration of media ownership. That is not good for diversity. It is not good for our democracy. But it is quite clear that the market believes that what is occurring is available to it.

Labor have for a long period of time been absolutely committed to ensuring diversity in Australia’s media—to ensuring the necessary safeguards for the public interest and for the national interest to ensure diversity of opinion. Labor will continue to harass the government on the issue of media diversity. In the run-up to the next election, we will outline a range of measures which will have the effect of seeking to secure diversity of opinion in Australia’s media. So we remain committed to pursuing policies that protect and promote a diverse range of information and opinion in Australia’s media. There are a range of options available to achieve this objective and Labor will consult widely in the development of our media policy.

The new media ownership regime will not come into effect before 1 February 2007 at the earliest and possibly not until 1 January 2008 at the latest. It is likely the media landscape will be radically different in two years time. The capacity of the ACCC to block mergers which reduce media diversity will be much clearer, and we will obviously take that experience into account in formulating a comprehensive policy statement, along with all the relevant legal issues, including consideration of what various policy options would give rise to a requirement for the Commonwealth to pay compensation if divestiture was required—although I make the point, as Senator Conroy has, that we are a long way from that.

This is the parliament’s last chance to prevent a massive concentration of media ownership in Australia, to prevent a massive concentration of media information, opinion and view. It is the last chance to prevent a substantial and dangerous weakening of the diversity of opinion in Australian society. This is the last chance for the National Party, the last chance for the Liberal Party and the last chance for this parliament, and this House should avail itself of that opportunity.

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