Tim Wilson (Goldstein, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

The Broadcasting Legislation Amendment (Media Reform) Bill 2016 highlights the forward-looking agenda of the Turnbull government. I do not think I am going to get a chance to finish everything I want to say this evening before the adjournment debate begins, but I do think we need to start by addressing some of the comments that were made before by the previous speaker and, in particular, to highlight the simple absurdity that has been raised here that somehow you need to retain the two-out-of-three rule in order to maintain media diversity.

The previous speaker specifically, and quite rightly, mentioned the fact that we have never lived in a more diverse media environment in this country or around the world. Today you can access—yes, through the internet, but also through lots of other means—technology and information services from all around the globe. The idea that you need to maintain some archaic, anachronistic, 1950s-style model of legislation and regulation to protect diversity fundamentally misunderstands where we are now, where we are going and the wonder and opportunity of what the future holds.

When you look at the challenges we face in the media, they are not around diversity—quite the reverse. The challenges in the media are around integrity and quality and making sure that we have media that has a rigor behind it. The way you are going to achieve that in the 21st century, when the cost of entry is low and there are costs associated with making sure we have quality journalism, quality stories, quality drama, quality programming, is to recognise that business models have to be viable.

By putting unnecessary, archaic and anachronistic restrictions on that you will not achieve the business model we need for Australian media to thrive. It needs to thrive to project stories not just for domestic consumption, which is very important because Australians always need to be able to see themselves and their stories through the media that is projected within our country and our continent, but for the world through a business model that is effective and commercially viable. That is the future of Australia's culture—making sure it is commercially viable, so that we can project that image to the world. It can be a great export sector for this great country.

Debate interrupted.

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