Government News Index
Acting PM wary on media change
AAP
21mar02
ACTING Prime Minister John Anderson has declined to throw his full support behind planned media law changes.
Mr Anderson said MPs from rural Australia wanted to focus on the issue of more diversity of opinion and stronger local content.
He indicated he would press for amendments on those two points if a community and industry debate found it lacking He said the Federal Government's media ownership laws would be introduced to parliament later today but would then be sent to a Senate inquiry.
Mr Anderson said a special coalition party meeting today endorsed the legislation which is designed to end cross-media ownership restrictions.
"We had a very constructive debate and we made a lot of progress," Mr Anderson said.
"Now the agreement is, of course, that the Bill will be introduced to the parliament and then referred to a Senate committee.
"There will then be a very wide-ranging debate.
"(I support it) broadly, but I want to make certain that it really is going to be as effective as possible in those areas I've nominated," he said.
"This is an opportunity to have a debate and to hear broader community and media input into the process."
"I'll be interested to hear views on where its objectives might either not be strong enough or where they can be improved."
A backbench revolt was responsible for the failure of the Coalition's last bid to reform the media landscape in 1997, and the Government still faces a battle to get its proposals through the Senate.
Before the last election, Communications Minister Richard Alston said the Government planned to scrap the 20 per cent foreign ownership limit for television and wind back the 30 per cent cap for newspapers.
Media groups would also be able to own newspapers and television or radio stations in the same market if they promised to operate separate newsrooms and maintain editorial independence.
The laws are expected to be introduced in the House of Representatives about 1630 AEDT.