Cathy McGowan (Indi, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Prime Minister, as you would be aware, regional broadcasters are running a campaign asking their MPs to change the rules. It seems we have reached an impasse on media reform. I really do appreciate that consensus is your aim, but this is eluding us. Can you tell me what the way forward is for the 120,000 of my constituents who rely on regional TV services for their local news and information?

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Indi for her question. I accept that in the area of media regulation it is pretty clear that the technology is running ahead of the regulation. There is no doubt that that is the case. The trouble with the regulation of the media is that to change one thing is to impact on everything. That is why it is important to be careful before we make changes here.

The government are reluctant to make a change in this area until we are confident that the changes that we have in mind are right. The best way to be confident that the changes that we have in mind are right is if we have secured a measure of consensus in the sector. That is what the Minister for Communications is working to achieve. Without a measure of consensus in the sector, the risk is that, were we to make a change, we would simply be taking sides in a commercial dispute—and that is the last thing any sensible government would want to do.