Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

Yes, we do live in a free country. Do you know what? Some people are free to get it wrong. And you have got it wrong, year after year after year, about the issues the Victorian people are concerned about.

Senator Hanson-Young, as you are aware, our government does have a position of supporting diverse media ownership. I'm sure that the minister responsible has discussed these matters with you. But I think that in general terms the Victorian state election again showed that some media outlets, along with some members of parliament, actually need to get out into the real world and listen to what real people have to say about these issues rather than just occupying their own echo chamber. We have seen some members of the Liberal and National parties, federally and Victorian, operate very closely with some of those media outlets. What they demonstrated is that they were grossly out of touch with people in Victoria, just as they demonstrated that in the recent federal election and in a range of other elections as well.

So I do hope that the Victorian state election is a very big wake-up call for a number of media outlets, as it should be also for members on the other side. Otherwise, they're going to keep drifting down the out-of-touch path that they seem to be intent on taking.