The Race Is On: Media Law Reform

“I am aiming to have the legislation passed by the parliament before the election”,Communications Minister Mitch Fifield confirms that the historic media law reform package is set to go before parliament.

The Coalition party room approved the reforms that will see the scrapping of the “media reach rule” that prevents any Television operator from reaching more than 75 per cent of the population and the “two out of three” rule; that restricts any company from owning more than three traditional media platforms in a single market; be it print, radio or TV.

The legislation will be introduced into the House of Representatives on Wednesday with Fifield hoping to have it passed “well before the election”.

A fair chunk of the reform content is also centred around Television operators and new obligations that ensure local TV content is still delivered to regional markets post it being passed, while simplifying it to that statement here, there is a lot more at play. For the broader radio industry, the changes will see a new wave of media mergers or acquisitions. The package is the biggest change in media legislation in Australia in over 20 years.

On the news today, CEO of Southern Cross Austereo said: “I congratulate Minister Fifield, who, after extensive consultation, has announced a far reaching package, which paves the way for meaningful media reform.

“We encourage all Members and Senators to embrace these reforms and support a swift passage through both houses of Parliament. It’s time for the rules to reflect media in the 21^stCentury”.