Changes to Australia's media ownership laws to be introduced within six months

Source: Guardian

Changes to Australia's media ownership laws to be introduced within six months

Communications minister is in talks with Labor MPs and crossbench senators so legislation can be brought to parliament ‘as soon as possible’

Shalailah Medhora
Tuesday 12 January 2016 21.21 EST

The federal government will introduce changes to media ownership laws in the first half of this year, the communications minister, Mitch Fifield, has confirmed.

Malcolm Turnbull – a former communications minister – had flagged that changes to platform specific ownership laws would be on the horizon shortly after he became prime minister in September.

On Wednesday, Fifield announced he was in talks with crossbench and Labor colleagues so the new legislation can be brought before both houses “as soon as possible”.

“I’m keen to introduce into parliament in the first half of this year media laws which will reflect the world we currently live in,” he told ABC radio. “The media laws that we currently have are gradually being rendered redundant by both technology and the choice that offers consumers.”



Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/jan/13/changes-to-australias-media-ownership-laws-to-be-introduced-within-six-months