Adam Bandt (Melbourne, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

Imagine if you had needed a paid subscription to watch Matilda's history-making penalty shootout last year. It's unthinkable, right? It's the 'brick wall' behind a paywall. But under Labor's new media laws that's exactly what could happen. The Tillies have inspired us all and smashed viewership records—42 per cent of the country watched their semifinal. That's more than any AFL or NRL grand final and bigger than Cathy Freeman's iconic 400-metre win. Across their World Cup campaign, millions tuned in digitally, for free, on smart TVs, laptops and phones.

But Labor's outdated proposal doesn't protect free digital streaming for sport, meaning you could need an old-school aerial television to watch the next Women's World Cup, or be forced to pay up. As if that's fair! It shouldn't matter how you watch these big events, they should be free. There were reports from the US that Americans are currently being slugged the equivalent of A$2,000 to watch a full season of football. It's a joke, and we're heading that way if we don't act now. Households can't afford the multiple out-of-pocket streaming services that dominate the field, especially when things are so tough. Our future Tillies, AFL stars and Olympians should be able to watch their sporting idols for free no matter what device they use. This is why the Greens will move to fix Labor's outdated legislation.

Sport belongs to all of us, not to the Murdoch media empire or the pay-to-play streaming services. (Time expired)

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