Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak about the absolute shame and horror of what is unfolding in the Fox News court case in America right now. We've known for a long time that the Murdoch machine has not been trustworthy in this country. But now we see, through confidential court files, how much power this corporation wields, how much power the Murdoch empire is willing to use against its political opponents.

Last week we saw shocking revelations that showed Fox News knew that claims that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump were plainly false, that they were untrue. Yet, time and time again, Fox News presenters continued to peddle and platform the lie. If that wasn't bad enough, there was also confirmation in court documents that Fox News was acting as part of Trump's campaign when confidential information about the Biden campaign's ads was handed directly to Trump's people.

What is going on at Fox News and inside the Murdoch machine is not journalism. It is political propaganda. It is the promotion of lies. It is the promotion of conspiracy theories. And it is all in the pursuit of power. Australians in this country have known for a long time that the collection of Murdoch rags, the rubbish that is spewed out on Fox News and on Sky News, is false. That's why we need a royal commission.