(1)   Will the Minister provide the eligibility criteria used by the Government to determine media attendance at the 2004 and the 2005 Budget lock-up.

(2)   Will the Minister provide a definition of mainstream media, taking into account the following extract from Mr Peter McGuaran’s second reading speech, for the Broadcasting Services (Media Ownership) Bill 2002 on 21 March 2003: Technological progress and globalisation are changing the structure of the Australian media market and patterns of media consumption—undeniably Australian media organisations are responding to these changes by investing in new technology enterprises and forming broader strategic partnerships, but the regulation of ownership and control of Australian media has been largely static. This creates ongoing tension between the trend towards convergence in the communications market and a regulatory framework which is based on sector-specific regulation and an assumption that influential sources of news and opinion are limited to the traditional domestic media outlets…The government is committed to the need for ongoing diversity of opinion and information in the Australian media.

(3)   Will the Minister provide a list of media outlets attending the 2005 Budget lock-up.

(4)   Will the Minister provide a list of press gallery members, that is those members with press gallery accreditation, who have been excluded from the 2005 Budget lock-up.

(5)   Will the Minister provide an explanation why some staff members of crikey.com.au gained accreditation to attend the 2004 Budget lock-up, but none have been granted access to the 2005 Budget lock-up.

(1)   The purpose of the Budget media lockup is to provide secure embargoed access to Budget documents to assist media organisations prepare their reports and analysis of the Budget to meet short publishing deadlines for a wide audience. The Budget contains market sensitive information, and for this reason access to the lock-up is restricted to a limited number of organisations who sign agreements to maintain confidentiality. Such arrangements have proven to be an effective way of communicating the Budget in a timely fashion to the largest number of people with a minimal amount of risk. A small circulation e-zine such as Crikey (whose self-described specialities are ‘juicy gossip’ and ‘rumour’) is unlikely to widen the audience for budget coverage or deepen the analysis that is currently made available from the lock-up.

(2)   Consistent with the purpose of the lockup, attendance is directed toward media organisations that focus on providing information and economic analysis that is widely available. A range of newspaper, radio, television and on-line news services are included in the list of attendees. Budget information is available on-line from 7.30 pm on Budget night at www.budget.gov.au and publications are available the following day in capital cities. These distribution arrangements provide ready access for all organisations who may wish to comment on the Budget. As mentioned above, a small circulation e-zine which describes its specialities as juicy gossip and rumour is not regarded as mainstream media.

(3)   See attached.

(4)   Press gallery accreditation is not required to attend the lockup.

(5)   No staff members of crikey.com.au received approval to attend the 2004 Budget media lockup.

Attachment