Scott Ludlam (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—I move:

That the Senate take note of the answer given by the Assistant Minister for Social Services (Senator Fifield) to a question without notice asked by Senator Ludlam today relating to diversity in the Australian media market.

As we well know, Australia has one of the most concentrated media markets of any democracy in the world. And Senator Fifield took the time to stand up and read three or four minutes of verbal tranquilliser onto the record, as he is wont to do. Whether it is the Commission of Audit, whether it is what is going on behind the scenes in environment policy, whether it is what is going on with the efficiency review or whether it is cuts into the ABC, those opposite just tell people: 'Don't worry. Everything will be fine. Trust us.' I can tell Senator Fifield, through you, Mr Acting Deputy President, that trust is in very short supply.

Why would this government even consider reducing those rules that do remain in protecting media diversity in Australia? We know that media companies have been circling and jostling for position on the understanding that maybe this government would be a pushover and withdraw those rules that protect what media diversity remains here. And now the fix is well and truly in. Senator Fifield could not provide us with a single fact or a single piece of intelligence as to what it is that the government would use to justify further reducing diversity. He mumbled something about the internet. And yet when you look at the top news and current affairs sites in this country, they are owned by the very same incumbents that run the biggest broadcasters and the biggest newspapers.