Dean Smith (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I also rise to take note of answers given by Senator Conroy today to questions asked by Senator Abetz and Senator Birmingham. There is an atmosphere of tension and suspension in this building today. Everyone is keenly watching and waiting, eager to see which will be the first to go: Senator Conroy's media reforms or the Prime Minister's position as Labor leader. Already we have heard about dissension in the ranks. Indeed, by her own admission Senator Polley just said that there were more important issues than this: a clear defiance of the government's legislative priorities. We heard it first in this place, just a few moments ago.

When the book is finally closed on this sorry, shambolic Labor government, the period from December 2007 to September 2013 will not be remembered as a golden era for public policy making in our country. The list of abandoned schemes and embarrassments grows ever longer, yet the list of genuine achievement remains woefully short. The media reforms are just the latest effusion from a government that first lost its way, then lost its majority, then lost its values and has now lost its mind.

This proposal has broad ramifications for the operation of our media and, I would argue, disturbing ramifications for the operation of our democracy. Yet when it comes to the legislation, this government is behaving as though we are dealing with some minor, non-controversial technical legislation and refusing to allow anything resembling adequate scrutiny of the legislation by this parliament. The Prime Minister and Senator Conroy are treating this parliament with Olympian disdain.

As we have learned, it is not just the parliament the minister is treating with contempt; we now know that this legislation was not properly examined by the cabinet, we know that the media companies were not consulted in the preparation of the legislation and we know that the government has thus far been unable to point to a single clear example of the problem in the media it claims as a rationale for this legislation. I think it is important to reflect on the comments sent to senators just recently in the last few hours by the chief executive of News Limited, Mr Kim Williams. They are not a secret—they were sent to all senators in the last few hours. Mr Williams, in a letter to the minister, Senator Conroy, says:

The Bills constitute bad law.

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Some of the problems in the Bills include the fact that they apply retrospectively, key legal concepts remain undefined, long established legal principles have been trampled on and the Bills establishing the PIMA make it clear that the PIMA's decisions cannot be repealed. It is also clear that the PIMA may release confidential information to you and your successors with no explanation.

So the chief executive of News Limited has said publicly that these bills constitute bad law. I spoke last week about the Orwellian overtones of the government's proposals in this legislation. Those of you who have read 1984 will understand that the concept of doublethink is central to that novel. George Orwell defined doublethink as being able to tell deliberate lies—