John Murphy (Reid, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Convergence Review's findings and recommendations are imminent. Madam Deputy Speaker, you know my longstanding campaign against concentration of media ownership in our country. I believe, like all of us, that fair and balanced media reporting is essential for the public interest. That is why I was concerned last week when Australia's wealthiest citizen, Ms Gina Rinehart, made a move on Fairfax, the second biggest media company in Australia. I think it is very important that Ms Rinehart tell all the citizens of Australia whether this is a friendly takeover to maximise the benefits for the shareholders or whether this is about getting control of the second biggest media company in our country to influence public opinion.

Moreover, I am concerned that editors and journalists might lose their jobs, because it is clear that Ms Rinehart has a massive conflict of interest. She is a fierce opponent of the minerals resources rent tax and she is a strong supporter of climate-change deniers. She is entitled to those views but, if she intends to take over the second biggest media company in Australia, she has to guarantee that she will have balanced reporting and that editors and journalists do not lose their jobs because they— (Time expired)