TONY BURKE MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS
SHADOW MINISTER FOR THE ARTS
MANAGER OF OPPOSITION BUSINESS
MEMBER FOR WATSON
MICHELLE ROWLAND MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR COMMUNICATIONS
MEMBER FOR GREENWAY
MORRISON GOVERNMENT ATTACKS CREATIVE INDUSTRY JOBS
The Morrison Government has voted to water down local screen content rules – meaning they’ve voted for fewer Australian stories on TV and fewer jobs for Australian creators.
The Liberal National Government has brought legislation into Parliament that will halve Australia’s screen content obligations for subscription broadcasters like Foxtel.
While governments around the world are moving to impose new local content obligations on streaming platforms like Netflix, Mr Morrison is going in the opposite direction – dismantling the obligations that already exist.
Labor will not support legislation that seeks to dismantle the rules that foster Australia’s world class screen sector, which tells Australian stories to Australians and the world.
The Morrison Government is only too happy to line up for photo opportunities with Hollywood stars – even as it quietly slashes the rules that guarantee Australian content on our screens.
It has been years since the Government first announced a review of Australian screen content and Labor has consistently maintained the Government should Make it Australian, with a harmonised regulatory framework across all platforms.
The Morrison Government also voted against Labor’s constructive amendment to allow all other measures in the bill to pass through Parliament with Labor’s support, including support for regional and small publishers.
It has been years since the Government announced the Regional and Small Publishers Innovation Fund, yet this funding has still not all been delivered.
Labor has consistently maintained that the Government’s funding for public interest journalism has been late, inadequate and spread too thinly. Labor calls on the Government to announce funding in accordance with the recommendations of the ACCC Digital Platforms Inquiry to ensure direct grants reach media outlets in need.
The Broadcasting Legislation Amendment (2021 Measures No. 1) Bill 2021 puts the incompetence of this Government and Minister up in lights.
It highlights their ongoing policy failure and delay when it comes to securing the future of Australian stories on our screens, and ensuring timely support for public interest journalism for small and regional publishers.
The Morrison Government just doesn’t deliver.
WEDNESDAY, 2 JUNE 2021
