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All eyes on media reform

Media reform bill goes to a Parliament today as FreeTV puts the Opposition, Greens, One Nation "on notice."

After yesterday’s day of drama with TEN going into voluntary administration, attention now turns to Parliament and the media reform bills.

Yesterday Communications Minister urged parties to support the proposals, citing TEN’s downfall as evidence that reform could give the network more options to remain viable.

“I particularly call on the Australian Labor Party to put aside gamesmanship … These are real businesses and these are real jobs for Australians,” he said.

But Labor­ communications spokeswoman, Michelle Rowland said, “There is no gamesmanship in Labor standing up for the public interest, and our democracy, by limiting the ability of dominant media voices to consolidate even further in Australia’s … media market.”

One Nation remains opposed to repealing the two-out-of-three rule without changes. Crossbench senators David Leyonhjelm, Cory Bernardi and Derryn Hinch, while the three Nick Xenophon Team senators are prepared to vote for the package with some changes.

FreeTV cited TEN’s situation as proof reform was needed more urgently than ever.

Chairman Harold Mitchell said, “This puts the Opposition, Greens and Pauline Hanson’s One Nation on notice that inaction on media reform has serious consequences. The responsibility for the continued decline of the local media industry will sit with those that did not support the media reform package.

“Outdated media ownership laws and the licence fee ‘super profits tax’ must be removed urgently. They were put in place before the internet. They are stifling the capacity of Australian media companies to compete with giant multinational media companies including Google, Facebook, Apple and Amazon.”

If the package is passed it relieves TEN of current license fees and allows for a potential takeover.

Yesterday Lachlan Murdoch and Bruce Gordon merged their shares. There are plenty of fingers being pointed in Murdoch’s direction over a raft of poor management decisions. Meanwhile there are 17,000 other small shareholders who have watched their value all but go up in smoke.

Mitch Fifield will introduce the bill to the House of Representatives today.

Source: The Australian,  AFR

3 Responses

  1. Mitchell talking rubbish again. Ten is in this position due to the actions of its Board and Programming people.

    He also incorrectly conflates the license fee for using public RF spectrum with the internet supposedly being free. Nothing is stopping the FTA networks from investing in content delivery via the internet so it’s an even playing field in that respect.

    What’s not even is that broadcast TV is currently a closed market in Aus, locked up by the Free TV cabal. There is no opportunity for the likes of Netflix and Amazon to start up a TV network.

    This is another example of a group of businesses that have failed to adapt to the real world going cap-in-hand to the govt, asking for tax-payer money to prop up the profits of shareholders who made poor investments.

  2. I’m starting to get int tin-foil hat territory on all this, as my head is swirling with thoughts right now.

    Starting to think n top of every thing else that this voluntary administration has come at just the right time, and I’m also starting to wonder if Murdoch and Gordon have come to some sort of arrangement for all over Australia affiliates with the merge (on top of TEN declining since Murdoch came in and took Sport off what was ONE HD).

    I mean Gordon is no goose and like I said the other day (in reply to someone), Foxtel have a 13.9% stake, Murdoch has a 7.7% stake in TEN (through Illyria), is Co-Chair of News Corp which owns 50% of Foxtel, Endemol Shine is half-owned by Murdochs’ Fox and he is also Executive Chairman of 21st Century Fox which course TEN has and is negotiating a program deal with.

    Then again I guess if the tin-foil hat fits then it’s best to wear it.

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