Llew O'Brien (Wide Bay, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Urban Infrastructure representing the Minister for Communications. Will the minister update the House on steps the government is taking to protect local jobs in the media industry, particularly in regional Australia, and are there any alternative approaches?

Paul Fletcher (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Minister for Urban Infrastructure) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Wide Bay, who fights very strongly for his electorate. He fights very strongly for regional jobs in Wide Bay and all around regional Australia, because he knows that the coalition stands up for regional and rural and remote Australia, whereas Labor is completely indifferent to regional and rural and remote Australia. The Turnbull government is fighting to protect jobs in the media industry, and that is why the Turnbull government has today introduced into parliament legislation to give effect to our comprehensive media reform package.

Australian media business is exposed to fierce competition from global media payers and from social media giants thanks to internet driven disruption. These huge global companies are not subject to arcane, out-of-date restrictions, like the two-out-of-three rule and the 75-per-cent-audience-reach rule. Australian industry players want to respond, but they are blocked by arcane laws and by Labor's head-in-the-sand attitude. What is it that the chief executives of the regional broadcasters have to say? This is a joint comment from the chief executives of three regional broadcasters: Prime, WIN and Southern Cross Austereo. They say:

Surely the evidence is clear … We doubt there is a politician in Canberra who wants to say they presided over an outdated regulatory regime that held back regional media.

There is a politician in Canberra who apparently wants to say exactly that—the shadow minister for communications, who is continuing to argue for the retention of the outdated two-out-of-three rule; never mind the rise of global internet based competition. She does not care about that. She put out a media release yesterday saying:

Curiously, she is referring to herself in the third person, which always raises suspicion. She said:

Not once in over a year has—

the minister—

consulted with Labor …

She criticised Senator Fifield, the minister, for referring to the fact that 1,400 jobs at Network Ten are at risk. I have news for the shadow minister: it is not about you. It is about 1,400 jobs at Network Ten that are at risk. It is about jobs in regional Australia that are at risk. It is about the Turnbull government's plan to protect jobs in regional Australia. In the media sector, we have a plan, because we care about jobs, we care about people in regional Australia and we care about a diverse, active and vigorous media sector—an important part of a democracy and an important part of our society. The Turnbull government has a plan. Labor needs to get its head out of the sand, realise that times have changed and support our legislation.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.