John Murphy (Lowe, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On behalf of the public interest and those concerned about the future of our democracy I again raise my grave concerns about the government’s Broadcasting Services Amendment (Media Ownership) Bill 2006. Media ownership is a serious public interest matter, and it goes to the heart of our democracy. I want to highlight the most cynical, superficial shotgun Senate inquiry into that particular bill, which took place in the Senate on 28 and 29 September. It is an absolute bloody disgrace. What the government is proposing to do is to allow our two biggest media companies to own television stations, radio stations, newspapers and monopoly pay television and to exclude anyone else from owning a free-to-air network while allowing those two companies to get a stranglehold on the internet.

It is an absolute disgrace. I cannot believe that this government is not doing more to defeat this bill. We have the most cynical and venal behaviour by Senator Coonan, trying to ram a most important piece of legislation through the federal parliament. I just hope that people like Senator Barnaby Joyce keep a cool head and maintain steady nerves to defeat this disgraceful assault on our democracy.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Pyne interjecting

John Murphy (Lowe, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You know it. How can you allow our two biggest media owners to own newspapers, television stations, radio stations and to have a stranglehold— (Time expired)