Media laws must be urgently reformed to prevent further concentration of ownership of Australia's media.
Mining billionaire Gina Rinehart has bought almost 14% of Fairfax Media, adding to her 10% stake in Channel Ten. The reach of Fairfax extends beyond the city mastheads the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age into regional towns right across Australia.
Eleven of Australia's twelve capital city daily papers are owned by either Fairfax or Rupert Murdoch's News Ltd. The remaining newspaper is controlled by Kerry Stokes, the owner of Channel Seven.
The weakening of Australia's media ownership laws by the Howard Government has had a negative impact on the integrity of public debate in Australia, a situation that will worsen if further concentration of ownership is permitted.
Disturbingly, Australia is already ranked 30th in the world for press freedom. By comparison, Canada is 10th and New Zealand is 13th. (Reporters Without Borders - Press Freedom Index 2011/2012).
With the support of the Australian Greens, the Government can take the urgent action required to protect diversity in media ownership in Australia.
Please urge Communications Minister Stephen Conroy to take action before it is too late.
