Mr MURPHY (4:25 PM) —I would like to draw to the attention of the minister who is here representing the Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts my question, No. 3642, on today’s Notice Paper in the House of Representatives. In this chamber earlier today I drew the attention of Deputy Speaker Causley, who happens to be a member of the National Party, to it. It is yet another question that I have placed on the Notice Paper, and this is yet another occasion when I have raised grave concerns on behalf of my constituents and the wider community in relation to the reform options discussion paper issued by the minister for communications, Senator Helen Coonan, Meeting the digital challenge: reforming Australia’s media in the digital age, which was circulated in March 2006. It should be renamed ‘Concentrating media ownership in Australia’.

Since that paper was issued in March, there have been over 200 submissions made to the minister in respect of this matter; not one of those has been made public. All the consultation in relation to this very important issue for the public interest and the future of our democracy has been conducted by stealth. I ask the minister to rule out the prospect of further concentration of media ownership in Australia when the government’s draft bill comes back to the House of Representatives. As I understand it, the bill will return some time between now and the end of the year and be put through the parliament in the early part of next year; but I am only relying on what I have read in the media.

This is a very serious issue, and I would like an answer from Senator Coonan. Will she rule out the possibility, in the worst manifestation of concentrating media ownership in Australia, of PBL and News Ltd merging? She has said that that will not happen, but she has never said that she will guarantee, ensure or legislate so that such a merger could not occur. It is unbelievable that the government would not rule out the prospect of our two biggest media companies hanging on to all their existing media assets and being allowed to own more. The Meeting the digital challenge reform options paper clearly indicates that the government is prepared to threaten the public interest and our democracy by further concentrating media ownership in Australia.

I have spoken about this issue ad nauseam for the last five years and it only seems to be getting worse. The government is proposing, as I understand it, to allow further concentration of media ownership. It is unthinkable that either one of the two biggest media companies in Australia could own television stations, radio stations and newspapers at the same time that they already enjoy ownership of monopoly pay television. And there is no indication that there will ever be a fourth free-to-air television network in Australia. This is a serious issue; irrespective of one’s politics, it cannot be allowed. I was heartened to read in yesterday’s Fin Review that Senator Barnaby Joyce and the member for Hinkler, Paul Neville, were expressing their grave concerns with this legislation—hence my question on today’s Notice Paper.

For the past five years I have been asking the minister’s predecessors and this minister to guarantee that there will not be concentration of media ownership in Australia and to rule out the possibility that the existing two largest media companies will be allowed to hang on to all of their media assets and be able to own even more. It is slaughtering the public interest and attacking our democracy to allow these two big companies to own even more of the media. I want an answer and I think the people of Australia deserve an answer.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER (Hon. BK Bishop)—I call the minister acting on behalf of the Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts. I am sure she will convey questions that you are putting to the senator in that respect.