Nick Xenophon (SA, Nick Xenophon Team) Share this | Hansard source

I'm very happy to answer Senator Hanson-Young's question. The purpose of the fund is to assist small publishers in metropolitan areas and regional independent publishers to transition, compete and innovate more successfully in a changing media environment. Grants could be allocated, for example, to programs and issues such as the purchasing of or upgrading of equipment and software, development of apps, business activities to drive revenue and readership and training—all of which will assist the bottom line of those organisations and, in turn, assist them to maintain and expand the employment of journalists. Eligibility for the grant funding will be broad and flexible. It won't extend to salaries. But you can imagine that, in terms of capital equipment, software, training and those capital costs that form an important part of the organisation, it will help.

InDaily is a very good publication based in Adelaide that is online. It breaks stories and covers a lot of local politics and news. It's an independent publication. I believe it and many others will be supported by this.

I will just make two other points very briefly. What is before the committee at the moment is the amendment I moved on local content. I direct this to my colleagues in the Greens and, indeed, other crossbench colleagues and One Nation. This is about increasing local content in those non-aggregated markets in the event that there is any change in the ownership structures that would be triggered by the legislation. In the Riverland and in the south-east, it would mean that it would double the existing requirements for local content in the legislation. I believe that is a good thing. That is something that I push for in legislation. I note that the government and the opposition back then did not support that, but here is an opportunity for those not in aggregated regional markets to have more, not less, local content. In relation to the matters raised by Senator Di Natale in respect of The Guardiana very good and important line of questioning—I can say that the negotiations were protracted. It has been my preference and the preference of my colleagues that The Guardian be included. In terms of the overall package of measures, it is an argument that I lost.