The Queensland branch of the Labor Party has backed the idea of a royal commission-style probe into media diversity in Australia.
Ex-prime minister (and Queenslander) Kevin Rudd celebrated the move as a “historic moment” for the state party.
Rudd, who has waged a long-running campaign to investigate the concentration of media ownership in Australia, has managed to get several Labor conferences to support the idea but has had no luck convincing the federal government.
Rudd also launched a petition that gathered half a million signatures in support of the probe.
The petition also triggered a Senate committee inquiry that backed Rudd’s position, although the Labor senators on the committee did not get the frontbench on side.
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland told Crikey on Monday the federal government “affirmed its clear and consistent position that a royal commission or judicial inquiry into media diversity isn’t the way forward for media policy”.
“The Albanese government supports a diverse and sustainable media sector,” she said.
“It is essential to informing local communities, particularly in relation to local, national and global events. We acknowledge that media diversity is a matter of concern to many Australians.
“We need to be outcomes-focused in implementing the backlog of recommendations that already exist, including from multiple reviews and inquiries into the media and public interest journalism over the past decade.”
Rudd’s office said on Monday the Labor branches in South Australia and the Northern Territory had previously passed similar motions.
It comes a few weeks after independent MP Zoe Daniel moved a motion in Parliament supporting the idea, with backing from another independent member, Monique Ryan.
The resolution passed at the Queensland Labor conference on Sunday was titled “Supporting media diversity in Australia”.
It called for the federal government “to establish a royal commission into media diversity in Australia”.
If that doesn’t happen, the branch supported the idea of a state inquiry into the matter.
The resolution was one of several dozen that passed “en bloc” at the end of the conference, meaning members took a single vote for a group of suggestions.
Australia has one of the world’s least diverse newspaper markets.
I read recently that Albanese had been terrified of a repeat of the 2019 election results which prompted his small target policy. That was code for doing nothing that might upset anybody and he is still doing it. We voted for change, not a Government that has to be brought kicking and screaming to doing the things that need doing. The fear of holding a media inquiry is just the latest example.
Fixing the media ownership problem in Australia should be one of the government’s top priorities, you’d think – especially considering the beating the ALP regularly receives from them.
The fact that the ALP aren’t wanting to pursue this line can only make me conclude, that some stupid deal has been done backstage, which Murdoch and co will renege on as soon as it suits them, and a massive opportunity to fix things will be lost.
I believe that in order to turn Australia around from the direction we’ve been heading in for the last decade, the first crucial step was getting rid of the Coalition government. That box has been ticked.
Now the second step could unfold in two ways. The Albanese govt. can either be a powerful force for positive long term change, or they can play it super-safe and consign themselves to being a place holder for future governments made up of less Lab/Lib, and more green and teal.
I’m happy with either way, but it’s Albanese who has the choice to make history – either as a great PM who got important stuff done, or as the guy who put the final nail in the coffin of the two-party system.
Hopefully, if this trend continues, Federal Labor may be pushed into a media inquiry, despite their fear of the repercussions.
With the exception of the POST Group, the standard of newspaper reporting, in Western Australia is woeful. Our daily morning paper has become a tabloid self-promoting newsletter, copying the page one layout of News Corp publications in the east. We certainly do need a break up of media monopolies.
Why does there need to be an inquiry or royal commission? Simply draft & finesse a bill.
Given the importance of a proficient media sector to democracy, an inquiry is necessary for transparency and accountability? Also, just a bill would open up the conspiracy floodgates. Much harder to get crazy conspiracies to run if the problems are out in the open for anyone to easily see (if they choose to look).