Alan Eggleston (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, Senator Coonan. Will the minister update the Senate on the government’s reform to media laws? Is the minister aware of any alternative policies?

Helen Coonan (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Eggleston for the question and for his very longstanding interest in the reform of Australia’s antiquated media laws. This week the regulator, the Australian Communications and Media Authority, has released the register of controlled media groups and the local presence licence condition. Both of these are key components of the government’s media reform package, which will protect diversity and localism while taking the media regulatory framework into the 21st century and beyond.

The register allows ACMA, as the primary regulator, to ensure that there will be an adequate number of independent voices in each licence area. I take this opportunity to remind my Senate colleagues that under the legislation there must be at least five voices in metropolitan areas and at least four voices in regional areas. The four-five voices test is based on voices that are additional to ABC services, which number four to five separate services, such as Local Radio, News Radio, Radio National et cetera, in each licence area—and I wish the ABC a happy 75th birthday. SBS services are of course added to this—not forgetting pay TV, satellite and the internet available in a given market. In addition, the government has imposed a two-out-of-three rule, which means that no more than two of the three regulated platforms—that is, commercial radio, commercial television and associated newspapers—can be controlled by the same person or organisation in one licence area.

The local presence condition gazetted yesterday will ensure that regional radio stations will continue to have a presence in their local communities, irrespective of any change in ownership. The condition provides that licensees of regional commercial radio stations who experience a change in ownership or become part of a cross-media group will be required to demonstrate to ACMA that staffing levels are being maintained, as well as the existing studios and other production facilities. The regulator, ACMA, has a range of enforcement powers at its disposal to deal with any breaches of this licence condition. The government’s media laws, when proclaimed, will create a framework that will deliver greater consumer choice as well as a competitive industry in the digital media age.

I am asked if there are any alternative policies. Indeed, the Labor Party would keep this sector shackled to a regulatory framework of the last century, preventing vital investment and diversification of the market. The Labor Party, of course, fought the government every step of the way—as they have with every other major reform of the economy—in relation to reform of the media sector. And today we learn that, if Senator Conroy is let loose, they are going to introduce a fourth commercial television network, regardless of the impact it would have on the viability of existing networks to deliver what consumers like and expect. They would politicise media takeovers by introducing a subjective test. While, the government is moving forward to implement our reform of Labor’s outdated media laws, the Labor Party is struggling to come to grips with the realities of the new digital world. Their last foray into media, under Paul Keating’s jurisdiction, stunted the sector for 20 years. This government will not back away from the tough decisions that will allow our media industry to operate in the 21st century.