Julia Gillard's henchman Stephen Conroy attacks freedom of the press

[nero_bolt]

Socialism bordering on communism Gillard and Labor style.  ( This will please the luvies and the socialists on here I am sure)

THIS government will go down in history as the first Australian government outside of wartime to attack freedom of speech by seeking to introduce a regime which effectively institutes government sanctioned journalism.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/opinion/an-aggressive-attempt-to-silence-your-media/story-e6frezz0-1226595884130

Communications Minister Stephen Conroy is threatening to take away privacy law exemptions - often described as shield provisions - which are fundamental to the operation of journalism in our democracy. He clearly said today that these protections for journalism would be removed if the proposed Public Interest Media Advocate was unhappy with the oversight of a media company's reporting by the Australian Press Council.

This removes the capacity of journalists to do their job - it is a not too sophisticated endeavour to gag the media.

The government also risks standing as the one that turned the clock back to last century, with its highly interventionist, vague and unnecessary public interest test on media ownership - which is nothing more than a political interest test which governments will use to punish outlets they don't like.

It will only serve to add layers of uncertainty, huge cost and inefficiency, adding yet another cost on business and Australian taxpayers.

The stated rationale of the public interest test is that it is to preserve media diversity. Yet there is more media diversity today than in all of human history. Moreover, both the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and the Australian Communications and Media Authority already have extensive powers to enforce media diversity today.

The minister has made no case as to the inadequacy of these existing powers. This proposal cannot be about diversity - that false need in the face of plenty is a sad disguise for the government's desire to control the media. The irony that the reference to a desire to preserve diversity is contained in a statement which advocates the abolition of the 75 per cent television broadcast reach rule is not lost on journalists.

The Public Interest "Tsar" will be beholden to government and will act as its gatekeeper. It is a sad day for Australian democracy.

It also represents a profound debasing of public policy process to sit on two reports for a year and then to put a gun to the head of parliament and business demanding passage of a series of bills in less than a week - all without any consultation with the print and digital media industry. Bills which have a huge impact on major employers, thousands of employees, investors and taxpayers in the Australian economy are being proposed in an old fashioned "stick 'em up" style hardly reflecting reasonable behaviour in a dynamic modern digital economy.

The whole approach today constitutes a travesty of public policy and parliamentary process.

Good read here

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/julia-gillards-henchman-stephen-conroy-attacks-freedom-of-the-press/story-e6freuy9-1226595971160

[izabsmiling]

https://theconversation.edu.au/meeting-the-challenge-of-convergent-media-policy-7251

11 June 2012, 6.08am AEST

Meeting the challenge of convergent media policy

It’s been a remarkably busy year for Australian media policy.

There have been three major reports released that address the future of media policy and regulation in the context of convergent media:

the Convergence Review;

the Independent Media Inquiry (Finkelstein Review);

and the Review of the National Classification Scheme.

In fact, 2012 marks the most significant moment in Australian media policy since the 1990s, when the...Broadcasting Services Act, the Telecommunications Act and the Classification Actwere all legislated. While these were major initiatives at the time, they were pre...

[lakeland27]

being gullible , malleable play-doh is shameful. 

[the_hawk*]

People like Juliar have plenty of protection from the press if they report mis truths, its called the courts.

Unfortunately for her truth is a good defense to any action.

she doenst like being shown up as a liar, simple dont tell porkies or make false promises.

Pollies of all flavors have lied to us for years, they just dont like people reminded of them

[lakeland27]

at least use her name hawk look.. tony. easy. the juliar expression gives a person very little cred. it puts you in a box with toxic old gay bigots like alan.

[silverfaun]

All who support this type of law are not Australian, have no regard for democracy & shame on you.

This law, if it goes through, will be the one thing this Labor government will be remembered for, the one thing that all thinking Australians will never forgive.

This law spits on out revered dead soldiers.

If this terrible law goes through all who supported it in Parliament & everywhere else will be tarred with the brush of shame this type of thing justly deserves.

There is no defense of this  & in your deepest Labor hearts you all know this to be true. If you don't understand what this law means for us all then I suggest you educate yourselves, read a bit of history, instead of C&P'ing the Labor lies.

I'm proud not to be suppoorting this travesty & all who do will never have any credibility, will live with the shame & justly so.

[cherples]

I'd bet most of those spitting the dummy have not even seen the proposed changes.

[lakeland27]

talk about full of it. what  absolute dribble.

[cherples]

All who support this type of law are not Australian, have no regard for democracy & shame on you.

This law, if it goes through, will be the one thing this Labor government will be remembered for, the one thing that all thinking Australians will never forgive.

This law spits on out revered dead soldiers.

Wow, over reaction or what?

[izabsmiling]

Please don't speak on behave of my families dead soldiers 

[izabsmiling]

behave = behalf