Luke Simpkins (Cowan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I wish to raise my concern about the activities of RT, or Russian television. RT is a soft-power, English language, government controlled media outlet. Seven hundred journalists and an estimated budget of 800 million euros a year helps this propaganda machine reach 550 million people by television. In 2013, YouTube use of RT material exceeded a billion hits. We should be concerned that it could be accessed by a fifth of all subscription TV subscribers. In 2011, after the BBC, RT was the next most watched foreign channel, and in 2012 it was the third most watched in the UK. BBC and Deutsche Welle have Russian language services but they have limited coverage. There is nothing on the scale of RT's broadcasting to the west going back the other way. This is a great concern, as the English- and United States-accented RT reporters are reading the views of the Kremlin out to viewers as the news.

I know that there is a rising level of concern across Europe and there is talk of establishing a Russian language television media outlet that can broadcast an alternative but balanced view of events on, for example, the Ukraine. It would target mainly Russian-speaking viewers in the former Soviet republics. Such a station could offer employment to Russian and Russian-speaking journalists dissatisfied with the increasing levels of censorship from the government of President Putin.

I therefore encourage EU countries to establish a pan-European Russian language TV channel as soon as possible and I ask that the Australian government provide any possible assistance to that TV station.