Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I think these amendments are a very worthy attempt to strengthen an absolutely pathetic voices and diversity test. As Senator Joyce and others have made the point previously, how could you possibly give a radio station that plays music all day and has two or three minutes of news and current affairs per hour the same weighting as an empire that will be created under this legislation of PBL and Fairfax? How on earth could you seriously stand up in front of the Australian public and say, ‘These have the same influence’? This is a debate about influence and it is about the capacity to influence.

I accept Senator Fielding had a position and a point of view yesterday. I do not understand it and I cannot fathom it, but we might get a chance to have a quick chat about it during the debate. You cannot seriously argue that a music radio station or a radio station that does nothing but broadcast horseracing should carry the same weight as News Ltd if it buys Seven or Ten.

Senator Joyce is making a worthy attempt to give the diversity test some teeth. It is clear, on any objective analysis, that it is farcical to suggest that a racing station and an empire like PBL and Fairfax coming together could possibly have the same impact on the Australian community. So we will be supporting Senator Joyce’s amendments.