Jew World Order

Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has announced the establishment of a “Public Interest Media Advocate”, among a raft of changes the government will attempt to push through parliament by the end of next week.

The advocate would oversee the Press Council, the main vehicle for complaints about the print media, and could take back exemptions from privacy laws afforded to journalists to report valid news stories if the advocate deemed there was a breach of standards.

Power to determine if media mergers could proceed would be given to the government appointed advocate while the proposed scrapping of a key regional-reach rule, which would assist Channel Nine in a proposed $4 billion merger with Southern Cross, was also announced.

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Critics lined up to attack the proposed changes which now hang on whether the government can secure the Greens and the votes of four independents.

Former press council head David Flint compared the government’s appointed advocate to Soviet regimes which he said “chose names which were completely contrary to what was the truth”.

Kim Williams sees the reforms as an attempt to gag and control the media.

“It is dangerous…it will give the government a power it should never have, the power to determine the content of the press. The press is there as a check and balance against the government,” he said.

News Ltd chief executive Kim Williams described the legislation as as “retrograde”.

“This government will go down in history as the first Australian government outside of wartime to attack freedom of speech by seeking to introduce a regime which effectively institutes government-sanctioned journalism,” he said.

He added added that the threat to take away privacy law exemptions “removes the capacity of journalists to do their job it is a not-too-sophisticated endeavour to gag the media.”

“The Government also risks standing as the one that turned the clock back to last century with its highly interventionist, vague and unnecessary public-interest test on media ownership, which is nothing more than a political-interest test which governments will use to punish outlets they don’t like. It will only serve to add layers of uncertainty, huge cost and inefficiency, adding yet another cost on business and Australian tax payers.

Communications Minister says he won’t “barter” over the media reforms he’s announced today.

“The stated rationale of the public-interest test is that it is to preserve media diversity. Yet there is more media diversity today than in all of human history. Moreover, both the ACCC and ACMA already have extensive powers to enforce media diversity today. The minister has made no case as to the inadequacy of these existing powers. This proposal cannot be about diversity that false need in the face of plenty is a sad disguise for the Government’s desire to control the media.

“The Public Interest ‘Tsar’ will be beholden to Government and will act as its gatekeeper. It is a sad day for Australian democracy.

Fairfax Media CEO Greg Hywood said there was “no evidence” there was a problem to solve in Australia.

“We can’t see the purpose of further regulation of news publications,” he said.

The Coalition will oppose legislation due to be introduced later this week. “Freedom is at stake, liberty is at stake, democracy is at stake,” Coalition communication spokesman Malcolm Turnbull said.

Senator Conroy claimed a free press would still exist, current media standards would apply under the new advocate and that the Press Council would continue to be funded by media companies .

“There is a community concern about media quality and how press complaints are handled,” he said.

He indicated that a breakaway West Australian self-funded press council set up by Kerry Stokes’ Seven West Media, which said the proposed regulation was “wholly inconsistent with the notion of a free press,” could become a declared organisation under the new advocate.

Senator Contry said the Government was not prepared to “barter” over the reforms. “We will not get into a circumstance where we are held hostage,” he said

Australian Press Council Chairman Julian Disney said the situation was concerning.

“The council, with the support of the media industry, has strengthened itself significantly. If other councils are not going to be required to meet the standards we have now and are working towards, this will be a race to the bottom,” he said.

Nine chief David Gyngell was spotted leaving parliament. While Nine would not comment on the changes, incoming Channel 10 CEO Hamish McLennan welcomed news there would be a permanent 50 per cent reduction in licensing fees in return for the broadcast of more Australian content.

But he said the proposed scrapping of the 75 per cent-reach rule, which will be rushed through a committee, was alarming.

“We are alarmed that this inquiry is being rushed and that the Government thinks it can be done and dusted in just one day. What is the hurry? People living in regional Australia deserve better and should be asking why this is being pushed through with such haste,” he said.

The government has also asked a parliamentary committee to consider program supply agreements “as part of determining whether a person is in control of a commercial television broadcasting service.”

News Ltd has recently forged a partnership with Channel 10 for the program Meet the Press. Fairfax has at times had a similar arrangement, conducting joint investigations with Four Corners, but this would not be considered as the ABC is not a commercial station.

The Punch: Media reforms may fall at last hurdle

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