Why did the Albanese Government fail to act until the death knell on critical regulations covering commercial broadcasters and streaming services operating in Australia?
This not only shows Labor’s incompetence, but its disregard for Australian media companies and other digital streaming services which require legal and commercial certainty to operate.
The remaking of the ‘Alston Determination’ by the government, just days before it expired, imposed an unacceptable level of risk to Australian commercial broadcasting and streaming companies.
Commercial television and radio stations, and live streaming services, deserve much better than this chaotic law making by the Albanese Government.
The extension of the Alston Determination for a lengthy five years also shows that Labor doesn’t have the ticker to implement the necessary media regulation reforms before the next federal election.
As set out in my letter (below) to Labor’s Communication’s Minister, the ACCC Digital Platforms Inquiry recommended there should be a harmonisation of media regulation between traditional media and those delivering services over the internet. Labor clearly has no intention of tackling the big reform challenges in the media sector in the foreseeable future.
18 September 2022
