Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr President. As the ABC do have some online content and the inquiry is looking at the grey area around online, I am sure that the ABC's online content may be considered among all the online content issues. The ABC are mainly a radio and television network and are not specifically covered. But they are being covered by the broader Convergence Review which is examining all of the Broadcasting Services Act obligations and codes of conduct.

There are two inquiries: one that absolutely, definitely would cover the ABC and one that, as far as the online component is concerned, could capture the ABC's online content. It is a grey area and no-one actually knows more at this stage. Senator Richard Alston ruled many years ago that online was not broadcasting. That has created this gap. (Time expired)