Communications Minister Fifield calls on Labor and the Senate to pass media reform package
Communications Minister Mitch Fifield has used an address to the National Press Club today to increase pressure on the Labor Party and crossbench Senators to pass the government’s proposed media reforms.
Fifield: “We shouldn’t retain rules that pretend the internet doesn’t exist”
In his address, Fifield noted the political concerns about the abolition of the ‘2 out of 3’ rule – which limits anyone from controlling more than 2 out of 3 media platforms – but argued that the rules were created in a pre-digital era before the internet and the wave of global competition that has followed.
“There is hesitation in some quarters about removal of the 2 out of 3 rule on the grounds that it remains an important diversity protection,” said Fifield. “I find this a difficult argument to understand.
“What is the justification for keeping a rule that pretends there are only three media platforms? Why retain a rule that pretends the internet doesn’t exist?
“We must give our Australian media companies the chance to compete against the global media giants they are now up against.”
Fifield argued the challenges facing Australian media in a global environment were “daunting”.
“It is absolutely critical that we offer Australian media companies the opportunity to build scale,” he told the room.
The Communications Minister also restated previous declarations that the government would not remove the 2 out of 3 rule from the package.
“My firm belief is that this entire package is important. It is not the Government’s intention to split it,” he said. “It should pass in its entirety.”
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The media reform package is currently before the Senate where it will go off to committee and will likely require either Labor or the Senate crossbench’s support to pass.
Fifield used the speech to urge the Senate to pass the proposed reforms, which would abolish restrictions on reaching more than 75% of the population, the 2-out-of-3 rule and impose new local content restrictions.
“I was heartened to see my counterpart (Labor) Jason Clare recently say: ‘If you make decisions based on one media company or another then you’re not doing your job properly.'”
“I hope the Senate follows his advice. Reform is not an exercise in doing everything all at once, and then not touching it for years; it is an ongoing and incremental process.”
Nic Christensen
Fifield is right about the ‘2 out of 3’ rule being created in a pre-digital era before the internet but that is not sufficient reason to remove it. However protection of diversity is sufficient reason to keep it, even if he can’t not understand the logic.
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While Fifield may be right, there is no point rushing the approval of draft legislation without sufficient scrutiny.
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Fifield sounds like he’s getting all of his information from the media giants themselves. The argument that the internet provides sufficient competition is utterly false.
Established traditional media organisations still have the biggest online presence, and many smaller, online-only ventures rely heavily on content from the traditional media giants.
If the 2 out of 3 rule passes, it will be a sad day for the Australian public. The average punter wouldn’t notice their radio station, newspaper, and TV network being run by the one conglomerate. And that’s exactly what the media giants want.
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