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Greens offer media reform compromise

Greens offer an olive branch in return for greater protections for media diversity.

The Greens will support the axing of the contentious ‘two out of three’ rule in return for greater protections for media diversity.

According to the Australian Financial Review, the ‘two out of three’ rule would be revisited later in the year when the Senate inquiry into the future of public interest journalism reports in December.
The Greens want to boost the viability of journalism by making subscriptions to newspapers and news websites tax deductible.

Greens communications spokesman Scott Ludlam said, “The Greens are perfectly willing to discuss the repeal of the two out of three rule, but only in the context of genuine measures to support media diversity.

“A diverse and robust media landscape for Australia should be the guiding principle for media reform legislation. The bill as it currently stands does the opposite; it is an invitation to the major players to consolidate further in what is already the world’s most concentrated media market.”

Meanwhile Labor agreed to strip the ‘two out of three’ rule from the legislation and support the rest of the package.

One Nation wants greater public service radio operations in Queensland and other protections for ‘local interests’ such as dam projects.

TEN is counting on the media reforms passing, to dispense with license fees and to open up potential new interests as it faces receivership.

But Communications Minister Mitch Fifield is mindful that the package has widespread industry support and changes could see such support begin to break up.

The government may not put the bill to a vote in the Senate because it doesn’t have the numbers and it may not compromise. It had the bill earmarked to be put to the Senate on Wednesday.

2 Responses

  1. “The Greens want to boost the viability of journalism by making subscriptions to newspapers and news websites tax deductible.”

    However you put it, it still amounts to corporate welfare. (That, and I’m not sure how “newspapers’ and ‘news websites’ have much connection to ‘journalism’…)

    “One Nation wants greater public service radio operations”

    While at the same time wanting to de-fund the organisations who provide them…

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