Barnaby Joyce (Queensland, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

There are concerns. It was interesting to watch what the markets did yesterday. Austereo, for instance, went up by five per cent. We might be fooling ourselves, but the market certainly is not; it knows exactly what is about to happen. There is going to be a wave of mergers and a centralisation of media content, and we are going to change the democratic process in this nation. That is what is going to happen.

It is good to see that Senator Ludwig has left, because the Premier of Queensland, Mr Beattie, refers to the Labor Party as hacks in today’s Financial Review. He said they are not doing their jobs as senators, that this Senate is irrelevant and that it needs to be replaced because it is not representing the states any more. He is taking that argument to his federation or whatever conference down in Melbourne.

Today is going to be an interesting test of whether we prove Mr Beattie wrong or whether we prove Mr Beattie right. I believe absolutely in the process of this Senate. I believe absolutely in ideals, of people rising above their political masters and, on a very important piece of legislation, voting for what is right for this nation. I know the Labor Party has signed a pledge that they cannot do that; I hope that we have not. That is a debate the Australian people will have, whether this Senate is relevant.

This is a major issue. We are talking about the free flow of information out to the community, the free flow of the fourth estate. As such, I think there are a lot of issues that need proper debate and need proper attention. We need to have a look at what the issues are in these amendments that we are dealing with. It is disappointing, and it is on the record, that Family First have decided they are going to allow, without challenge, the centralisation of media content without any protection mechanisms that will change the nature of our democracy. People voted for Family First because they thought they would have another voice that would be a decent voice. If they let these things through today without challenge, I suspect they have defrauded the general aspirations of what people expected them to be. That has to go on the record.

How can Family First vote for something that they did not even turn up to the committee on? They were a no-show at the committee. There was no dissenting report from Family First, because they were not interested in it. What they do today is vitally important for the future of our nation, because the people who become very powerful in this are the people who control the media—the fourth estate. That is not the actual media or the journalists; it is the major shareholders in media companies who have an interest in what goes on.

This is one of the most important pieces of legislation we are ever going to deal with, it really is. It is about democracy and what happens. It is interesting about regional groups and the two out of three rule, but the final question is: are we going to get an overcentralisation of the media? And, if we get that, what is our remedy to fix that situation? If we do not have the courage to fix it now before there is an overcentralisation of the fourth estate, before there is an overcentralisation of opinion, then we have got no hope of fixing it afterwards. If the political weight of certain groups that have inspired this legislation is so strong now, what hope have you got if you bring about a duopoly? What hope have you got of changing it then?

The responsibility of your vote today is for our nation in 10 years time. This is very important for everybody. Mr Beattie has laid down a challenge to the Senate: prove yourself relevant or hand it over to someone else. I believe that this place is relevant. I believe absolutely in the honour that is bestowed on you to be in this place and that you rise above that. Today is going to be an interesting test to see whether that exists or not.