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• May 31 2017 at 7:30 PM
• Updated 1 hr ago

Fate of media reform hangs on Pauline Hanson as industry chiefs unite

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Senator Pauline Hanson key to media reforms' fate Andrew Meares

by Andrew Tillett
One Nation is the focus of industry lobbying over media reforms with publishers and broadcasters uniting to back changes they say would allow the industry compete against foreign online giants like Google and Facebook.
A stalemate remains over the removal of the "two out of three" rule, which bans media companies from owning newspaper, radio and TV assets in the same market.
Labor, the Greens, and One Nation all want to see the two out of three rule retained, while Pauline Hanson's party is also demanding a funding cut for the "out of control" ABC and SBS.
Media chiefs from 25 newspaper publishers, pay and free-to-air TV networks, radio stations and industry groups gathered at Parliament House on Wednesday night for a function attended by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to urge the package be passed unamended.
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Fairfax Media chief executive Greg Hywood: "We can’t for a minute underestimate the threat to each of those from global giants that are untaxed, unfettered and voracious." Peter Rae
Fairfax Media chief executive officer Greg Hywood warned Australia's media ownership regime was outdated, outmoded and increasingly irrelevant.

"The changes as proposed in the reform package will give us the greatest chance to ensure diversity, integrity, independence and our uniquely Australian character can be preserved and ultimately enhanced," Mr Hywood was expected to say according to speech notes.
"And we can't for a minute underestimate the threat to each of those from global giants that are untaxed, unfettered and voracious.
"To the opponents of this package of reforms I say – beware – the failure to act now is likely to have long-term and adverse consequences for Australian journalism and for this industry."
As well as getting rid of the two out of three rule, other proposed changes include axing the 75 per cent reach rule that stops metropolitan TV networks merging with their regional stations, abolishing TV and radio licence fees, amending the sports anti-siphoning list and restricting gambling advertisements during live sports broadcasts.
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David Rowe
With One Nation controlling a bloc of four senators, Senator Hanson's support will be crucial to passing the changes and the industry hopes she may be more open to negotiation.
A One Nation spokesman said the party supported the majority of changes so private companies could compete against publicly-funded entities like the ABC and overseas content distributors.
"However, One Nation is not convinced that the challenges facing media operators justify the abolishment of the 2 out of 3 rule," the spokesman said.
"A rule which is crucial to ensuring that a single operator, either foreign or domestic, does not establish a monopoly control of media distribution in a single region."

Communications Minister Mitch Fifield said diversity would still be protected if the two cross media ownership restrictions were axed.
"There is great competition for Australian media organisations. And what we want to do is to give Australian media organisations more options as to how they can configure themselves," he said.


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