Ursula Stephens (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Science and Water) Share this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. I thank the minister for her answer. It probably would have been helpful had she been able to describe what the levels of minimum service represent in real terms. It gives me a real concern about local presence plans and the local content plan. Surely, as many of her National Party colleagues suggested, media moguls will be able to drive a truck through the local content plan, just as Telstra has been able to do with the local presence plan. Does this not mean that the minister cannot give any guarantees really that local news and radio services in the bush will not be cut? After failing to live up to its commitment on Telstra in relation to regional services, is there any reason why anyone should trust the minister to protect regional media services?