Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Communications and Broadband) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. I remind her that her foreign minister, Senator Carr, failed to support the government's proposed media regulation in Washington today, and her Chief Whip has openly criticised her handling of the issue today in the caucus.

Honourable Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! I am on my feet! The next person who interjects while I am standing will be named. The member for Wentworth has the call. He will commence his question again and will be heard in silence.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Communications and Broadband) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister and I remind her that her foreign minister, Senator Carr, failed to support the government's proposed media regulation in Washington today. And her Chief Whip has openly criticised her handling of the issue, only today, in the caucus. If the Prime Minister fails to convince the parliament to pass these laws this week, will she commit to take them to the election and let the voters decide if they want the most onerous regulation of the press in our peacetime history?

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Wentworth for his question. I am glad that he got it. To the member for Wentworth, his question contains a number of misrepresentations. As usual the member for Wentworth, bringing this question to the parliament, has misrepresented some facts in the question itself. But on the actual topic of media reform, which the member's question is directed to, I say to the member for Wentworth that reform in these kinds of areas is not easy but it is important. I have seen reported in the Financial Times that in the United Kingdom some reforms on media have been secured. I direct people to the reporting today, which says:

Britain's politicians on Monday vied with each other to declare victory after 20 months of public hearings debate and chaotic last-minute haggling finally produced a new system of press regulation … A Royal Charter enshrining press regulation was agreed at 2.30am on Monday in the Commons room of Labour leader Ed Miliband—

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Communications and Broadband) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise on a point of order. Could you please draw the Prime Minister back to Australia.

Honourable members interjecting—

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Goldstein is warned.

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I was answering a question about media and thought the member in the House might be interested in what has happened in the House of Commons and in the United Kingdom as it deals with media questions. I would have thought that was relevant and I would have thought the member for Wentworth would not treat with disrespect his sister political party in the United Kingdom. Before the member for Wentworth characterises the reform propositions before this parliament I suggest that he has a look at the reform propositions there, which go far, far further than anything in contemplation by the government or for the parliament.

So, every ugly word and every criticism that the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Wentworth have directed against the government's reform proposals now need to be directed against Prime Minister Cameron and the British Tories or they will stand accused of the most gross hypocrisy. The House of Commons over there has gone far further than we are requesting the parliament to go here. But there are clear issues of public interest here—things that matter to the Australian community: being able to hear a diversity of voices in their democratic debate, being able to see Australian content on their TV screens, being able to make a complaint about the media should they choose to do so, and have that complaint appropriately handled.

I recognise that these are important questions. Prime Minister Cameron has recognised that these are important questions. The only ones, with their typical negativity, not recognising that this is an important debate in democracies around the world is—you guessed it—the opposition.