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

My question is to the Minister for Communications, Senator Fifield. Can the minister outline the importance of reforms to Australia's media laws and what support exists for these changes?

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 strong and ongoing interest in the viability of Australia's media industry. It is indeed good that there is legislation before the parliament that seeks to reform the media laws. This would be the most significant media reform in a generation. The aim, quite simply, is to abolish redundant regulations and to unshackle Australia's media industry so that it can better compete with global players.

I am very pleased to say that there is strong support for this change. Greg Hywood, CEO of Fairfax Media, told the recent Senate inquiry that current media laws are:

… a disincentive to investment in the Australian media and a severe brake on our ability to compete against global competition.

Paul Anderson, the chief executive of Network Ten, said:

… it is blindingly obvious that these pre-internet era laws are now achieving the opposite of what they were intended to do. They are now working against a strong, viable and diverse media sector, and they must go.

The chief executives of Prime Media, WIN Television and Southern Cross Austereo recently wrote in an opinion piece:

Surely, the evidence is clear. The case has been made. We doubt there is a politician in Canberra who wants to say they presided over an outdated regulatory regime that held back regional media.

In fact, nearly every witness that appeared before the recent Senate inquiry, including two out of the three academics called by the Labor Party to give evidence, supported the government's legislation. These reforms are necessary. We want to secure a strong, vibrant, diverse Australian media. I am pleased that there is such strong support for change.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Smith, a supplementary question?

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

Is the minister aware of any threats to reforms of Australia's media laws?

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

I am. There are no prizes for guessing. The threat is of course the Australian Labor Party. But yesterday, after months of Labor dithering and Labor obfuscation, the opposition finally admitted that they are too weak and too timid to tackle media reform in Australia. It is curious that in the Labor Party's dissenting report they labelled the government's reform as 'piecemeal' and 'narrow'. So you will be surprised, Mr President, to know what Labor's alternative approach is. It is in fact to do less than the government is proposing.

Labor want to keep our media laws stuck in the 1980s. But I have some news for the Australian Labor Party. I have a few facts that might have escaped them. The first is that Kylie Minogue no longer lives on Ramsay Street. The second is that the internet does exist. It is very important that our media laws reflect the second of these facts. (Time expired)

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Smith, a final supplementary question?

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

What would be the consequences if Australia's media laws are not reformed?

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

The consequences would not be good for Australia's media industry. Let me quote from Network Ten, who have been appalled by Labor's ignorance. They said:

… the two out of three rule stifles ability to access much needed scale and capital.

We can't understand how that is not of great concern when Australian jobs and an Australian voice in news and local content are at stake …

Prime Media have said:

… the Labor Party talks about wanting an evidence-based approach, but it seems they have ignored irrefutable evidence … that this reform is important to secure our future …

For the aspiring alternative government of Australia, it should be a very straightforward matter to embrace the need to bring our media laws up to date to make sure they reflect the world that we live in and so that Australian media companies can be unshackled and compete with global players.