Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for the Murray Darling Basin) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Conroy. Is the minister aware that if his media restrictions are imposed the Gillard government will become the first government in this country to attempt to impose regulation in peacetime upon the content of newspapers since the New South Wales administration of Governor Darling attempted to license newspapers in 1827? Does the minister consider that standards of press freedom in a penal colony almost two centuries ago are an appropriate standard for 21st century Australia?