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

Thanks, Senator Lambie, for the question. Like you, I very much enjoy watching sport on free to air, and I know many Australians do as well. Of course, some of us choose to go for Queensland teams, but others make the wrong decision and go for another state! You can't help everyone. The issue that Senator Lambie does raise is obviously an important one. We have seen a very big move towards pay TV to be able to watch some of the leading sporting events in our country, and that is something that is of great concern to the Albanese government.

I know that Minister Rowland, as the communications minister, has been working on this for quite some time. Under Minister Rowland's leadership, the government has reviewed the antisiphoning scheme and antisiphoning list and is in the process of amending both to recognise the contemporary media environment. So—as a position statement from the government—we are absolutely committed to maintaining free access to events of national significance, including sporting events. The antisiphoning scheme is a key mechanism for achieving this. We did commit to reviewing the scheme in the context of the 2022 federal election to ensure that it remains fit for purpose in a contemporary media environment. Although there was broad support for the objective of free access to important sporting events, submissions to the review highlighted differing views on key issues.

There has been a particular issue, I know, regarding the telecasting of women's sport, which is growing in popularity in a massive way—the Matildas, our netball teams and a range of other sports as well. There has been hug progress in the recognition of women's sport in recent years, and I know that Minister Rowland is particularly interested in ensuring greater parity in the broadcast of women's sporting competitions and events.

The bill currently before parliament is a significant expansion of the scheme, and it does address a gap under the current scheme through which Netflix, Amazon and other online— (Time expired)