Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am very grateful to you, Mr Deputy President, because I get unfairly accused of speaking too loudly in this chamber and I am very grateful for your support in this regard. I will face the right direction. Senator Sterle, you should take note of the Deputy President’s comments too.

This reform package is about delivering to consumers in this country a modern telecommunications system and a modern media ownership system that will allow the Australian people to get the benefits that will flow from media reform, such as investment in communications in this country, which has been sadly lacking for a long time. It is incumbent upon the Australian Labor Party to state where they stand on this. Five months after Senator Coonan floated these reforms in some detail, we have not heard one policy position from the Australian Labor Party. Is it fair that, because of the intransigence of the Australian Labor Party, Australian consumers are going to miss out on new services that are restricted now because of the lack of investment?

The big winners under this reform package will be consumers. It would take me some time to go through the full benefits to consumers of these reforms, but I will just go through some of them very quickly. In doing so, I will talk about the new services. Obviously, the new services will be digital services. The two channels, A and B, will be auctioned as separate national licences. Both licences will be issued for 10 years, with the possibility of a further five-year renewal. Consistent with the government’s intention that these channels be used for new and innovative digital services for consumers rather than replicating traditional television services, neither channel A nor B will be permitted to be used for traditional commercial free-to-air services or subscription TV services to fixed in-home receivers. The Australian Labor Party has got to tell the Australian public now, today, whether they are going to support them or continue to deny them modern telecommunications and a modern media ownership system. Today is the day for them to tell us where they stand. Are they anti-consumer or pro-consumer?