Paul Scarr (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I always enjoy following the previous speaker, Senator McKim, because I know that, if I've come in here with five minutes worth of material, after listening to Senator McKim I will probably have five hours worth of material to debate. At the outset of my contribution on the Treasury Laws Amendment (News Media and Digital Platforms Mandatory Bargaining Code) Bill 2021 I would like to take advantage of the opportunity which Senator McKim has afforded me and deal with at least three of the points he raised.

The first point I would like to make is to congratulate everyone who was associated with the pressure that was imposed to ensure that our public broadcasters were brought within the ambit of the code. I actually think that was incredibly important. I think it's very good that the ABC and the SBS are captured within the code, so I'm certainly on the same page as Senator McKim in that regard.

I'm also on the same page with Senator McKim in relation to the importance of the Australian Associated Press. I think it is important that that institution continues. It provides an invaluable service to our community and, from my perspective, it encapsulates everything important about public interest journalism. I certainly agree with you on that.