What is holding back the Gillard Government from limiting the ownership of one media business to, say, 15 per cent for any individual or organisation?
Who would want another tycoon dominating what is left of the democratic media in this country?
It cannot be difficult to find majorities in both Houses of the Federal Parliament to put a stop to the Gina Rinehart raid on Fairfax. One would expect the ALP to have the political will to get on with intervening in this threatening market disaster.
The Cross Media Ownership Rules (CMR) have not protected Australia from 70 per cent ownership by Murdoch and, unless we see effective action soon, it won’t stop Rinehart either. We hear a lot about the “Australian Way” in economic management from our Prime Minister but the Australian Way in media diversity and freedom of expression is plainly an appalling story. It requires immediate and drastic action to amend or re-write the legislation Paul Keating keeps on defending. Governments should not become the pawns of media moguls.
Klaas Woldring,
Pearl Beach
