KIERAN GILBERT: The Labor Caucus meets this morning in the face of a possible, and some say likely, collapse of the Government’s proposed media changes as senior ministers are fending off reports that they’ve shifted allegiance from Prime Minister Gillard to Kevin Rudd. Foreign [Affairs] Minister Bob Carr was asked about this report on…
SIMON BIRMINGHAM: Can I start by noting that today is the final day for potential disallowance of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan? That means that this Plan, this historic reform, will come into law, will take effect and will be an important mechanism to improve the management of the Murray-Darling after, frankly, 120 years of…
FRAN KELLY: Well, the Prime Minister says her Government is open to, quote, ‘sensible suggestions’ from the media industry over its reform bills* but it won’t be, quote, ‘cross trading or horse trading’ with key crossbenchers who are withholding their support. Coalition frontbencher Simon Birmingham is a member of both of the Parliamentary committees…
The Gillard Government should remove land use restrictions locking up thousands of hectares of previously irrigated land, Coalition Murray-Darling Basin spokesman Simon Birmingham said today. A condition of grants to landowners surrendering water entitlements under the Small Block Irrigators Exit Grant Package was that the land owned by the applicant would not be…
SENATOR BRIMINGHAM: (South Australia) (10:11): I will start by doing something a little unusual in this place, and that is to agree with some of the sentiments of Senator Cameron. It will do your reputation no good, I realise, Senator Cameron. But Senator Cameron rightly said that he believes every senator in this place cares…
SENATOR BRIMINGHAM: (South Australia) (15:41): I move: That the Senate notes Labor’s relentless attacks on free speech. I begin this debate on the coalition’s motion on free speech by reflecting on the fact that we have a government in Australia at present with many addictions. The Labor Party have many, many addictions indeed. The modern…
SENATOR BIRMINGHAM: (South Australia) (18:01): I, too, join this debate to take note of the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee report on the management of the Murray-Darling Basin. I will be keeping my remarks relatively brief, but I congratulate the members of that committee led by Senator Heffernan, all of those who…
SOPHIE McNEILL: It’s an election year and the Government has picked a fight with the loudest voice in the country the media. Communications Minister Stephen Conroy wants to appoint a public interest officer to make sure that the media behaves itself. He says the current system of self-regulation just isn’t working and news…
KIERAN GILBERT: The other big story today, of course, is the media laws. The media executives will be in town for the Senate committee hearing into these six bills*, controversial bills, proposed by Stephen Conroy, the Communications Minister. With me for his preview and response to these… the Senate committee and what we can…
SIMON BIRMINGHAM: Good morning, everyone. Stephen Conroy, some 12 months after receiving the million dollar-plus Convergence Review and Finkelstein report, has finally announced a grab bag of media reforms. He is giving this Parliament, apparently, just days to consider these reforms, yet he hasn’t even revealed the legislation yet. This is a process that…