Dean Smith (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Communications. Can the minister advise the Senate why media reform is an important part of the government's economic plan?

Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Smith for his question and also acknowledge his expertise in this area. He is someone who, from his former professional experience, understands that the line is ever blurred between carriage providers, content providers and media organisations.

As all colleagues should know, media reform is important because it is part of managing the transitioning economy. One of the issues with the media laws that we currently have is that those that govern what are sometimes called 'traditional media platforms'—or, as those media organisations prefer to be known, 'media organisations of long standing'—were crafted in the year 1987, which, as Senator Smith, Senator Payne and, I think, Senator Conroy would know, was the year that New Order released their landmark album Substance on both vinyl and CD. To be fair, it is not actually an album that formed part of the genre of tastes of the Attorney. That is recognised. But I think that cultural reference indicates just how out of date our media laws are.

The media laws that we have and that this government is looking to remove our sensational in many respects, apart from the fact that they do not recognise the fact that the internet exists. That is a small problem. They cater for newspapers, commercial radio and commercial TV, but the internet is not something that was contemplated by the drafters of the law at that time, which is why we are looking to remove the reach rule and the two-out of-three rule.

Dean Smith (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Can the minister update the Senate on responses to the government's media reform bill?

Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I can indeed cite some responses from media organisations about our proposed media reforms, which had, as the Prime Minister has referenced on a number of occasions, been kicked into the long grass for too long. For example, Ian Audsley, the CEO of the Prime Media Group, told a Senate inquiry recently:

This bill is a very positive first step in media reform, which is needed in a rapidly changing media environment.

…   …   …

Without the ability to unleash ourselves from the regulations and to organise ourselves in a more efficient manner—that is, consolidate—our future will be one of struggle.

The editor of AdNews, Rosie Baker, wrote:

Without reform, the Australian media industry can only slow down and go backwards. If we continue to stall until we find a perfect solution that addresses every element for every media player, no progress will be made at all and everyone stands to lose.

Dean Smith (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Can the minister explain why the abolition of the two-out-of-three rule is so important?

Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I indicated, the two-out-of-three rule is one element that we are looking to remove from Australia's media rule. Principally, the issue here, as I referenced before, is that it does not recognise that the internet exists. We have to enable media organisations to configure themselves in the way that best suits them. We also are keen to get rid of the 75-per-cent-audience-reach rule, which I know those opposite support, but it would be tremendous if the parliament could see its way to removing both of those rules and see them as a package. I again acknowledge Senator Smith, who is someone who is not just looking at this reform; he is someone who is always looking over the horizon at the next reforms that need to be undertaken in Australia's media law.