Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for the Centenary of ANZAC) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Communications and Minister representing the Minister for Sport, Senator Fifield. The government plans to give $30 million to subscription television:

… to support the broadcast of underrepresented sports on subscription television, including women's sports, niche sports, and sports with a high level of community involvement and participation; …

Given a recent FOI request on the minister's deal returned no documents, will the minister now tell the Senate what conditions, if any, are attached to this $30 million?

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

I thank Senator Farrell for his question. Senator Farrell is right. The ABC morning program in Melbourne put in an FOI request to my department asking if there was any correspondence between my department and Foxtel prior to the budget announcement. My department, obviously, makes FOI decisions independently of myself and—

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

Point of order, Senator Farrell.

Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for the Centenary of ANZAC) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I've stated that the FOI request returned no documents. My question relates to what conditions, if any, are attached to the grant of the $30 million, not to the FOI request.

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

Correct. That was the notion and the accuracy displayed in your question, but the minister, in fairness, has only gone a quarter into his answer and he is on topic. The minister has heard your point of order. Senator Farrell.

Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for the Centenary of ANZAC) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On the point of order, you did request earlier in the week, President, that we give specific, direct questions. We've now asked one of those, and we would request a direction to the minister to answer that direct, simple question.

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

Thank you. I did say that your point of order was accurate. The minister is a quarter into his answer, and I did also say that the minister has heard your point of order. I call the minister.

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

What I'm doing is speaking directly to the question and confirming what Senator Farrell has said, for the benefit of my colleagues, that the FOI request was confirmed by the department. There were no documents, in terms of correspondence, between my department and Foxtel prior to the budget announcement. There's nothing unusual about that.

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

Point of order, Senator Wong.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Direct relevance, Mr President. He's now wasted a minute and a bit telling us what we know and not answering the question. Will the minister now tell the Senate what conditions, if any, are attached to this $30 million? It's the only question. Stop avoiding it, Minister.

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

On the point of order, Senator Fifield.

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

On the point of order, I still have 53 seconds to go. If a question is asked and the basis of the question is an FOI request, I am entirely entitled to—

Honourable senators interjecting—

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Why are you so nervous about telling us—

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

Order! Ignore the interjections. Address your remarks to me, Senator Fifield.

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

I'm just trying to speak without being interrupted—

Opposition senators interjecting—

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

Order on my left!

Senator Wong interjecting—

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

I'm trying to speak without being interrupted. We have the constant interjections from Senator Wong as I am trying to speak. They were there also in my first minute. The more they interject, the longer it will take me to get to the next point.

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

On the point of order, I will remind the minister of the question, as he has now exceeded half the time allocated for the answer to the question. I remind the minister of the question. Minister, you have the call.

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

Thank you, Mr President. Now, what I was going to move to next, after having made that point, is that my department is negotiating, with Fox Sports, a funding deed, which will have milestones and will have those things that are required in order to satisfy the obligations for receiving that particular support in the budget measure. I go back to where I started: there's nothing unusual, in the budget context, in that there is no correspondence between the department and stakeholders. The announcement was made in the context of the budget and, as I've indicated, there is a funding deed being negotiated—as you would expect and is common practice—when there is a grant.

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

Senator Farrell, a supplementary question.

Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for the Centenary of ANZAC) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I assume the answer to my last question was no. At the last election, Labor pledged $21 million to support an extra 500 hours of live, free women's sports broadcast on ABC TV and online. How can the minister justify spending $30 million of taxpayers' money on a service that they will have to pay to access?

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

I could make a flippant point that there is no more room on the ABC for more sport because of the number of Sam Dastyari infomercials. I could make that point, but, in all seriousness, I think it's important to note that an Australian Sports Commission report in 2014 determined that about 70 per cent of all women's sports coverage in Australia occurred on Fox Sports. Fox Sports have a good track record of providing coverage for sports with a lower profile that are neglected by the free-to-airs. Fox Sports have four dedicated sports channels. They have got a good track record, and the government thinks that this is an appropriate way to support further coverage of women's sport.

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

Senator Farrell, a final supplementary question.

Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for the Centenary of ANZAC) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Given the lack of any breakdown of the funding on any addition of niche sports, even the most basic KPIs or any documentation whatsoever, will the minister now admit that this is a corporate handout masquerading as support for women's sport?

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

The Australian Labor Party see conspiracy wherever they look. If my department had said in response to the FOI request that there were exchanges of letters before the budget, the Labor Party would have said, 'Aha, conspiracy.' If there isn't correspondence beforehand, they say, 'Aha, conspiracy.' This is a straightforward matter that was determined in the context of the budget. As is the case when it comes to these announcements, there's a decision taken in the budget, there's a grant to be made before money is handed across and there is a funding deed, with requirements and milestones, that is put into place. This is standard practice and that will happen.