PETER VAN ONSELEN: Now, as I mentioned before the ad break, Richard Marles is caught up at the moment in divisions going on in relation to some of the media laws but we are joined, out of Canberra, by the Liberal Party Senator Simon Birmingham who is involved in the Senate committee looking at…
DetailsKIERAN 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…
DetailsSOPHIE 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…
DetailsSENATOR 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…
DetailsSENATOR 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…
DetailsSENATOR 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…
DetailsSIMON 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…
DetailsKIERAN GILBERT: Once again immigration policy debate in this country has descended into which side of politics is demonising foreigners for their own political gain. Coming up this morning, my interview with Prime Minister Gillard. First, though, the Opposition Leader Tony Abbott’s criticism over the Prime Minister’s comments on 457 visas [Temporary Work (Skilled)…
DetailsLEON BYNER: Now, wind farms have been very controversial because, first of all, they’re not cheap. We keep getting told that it’s cheap energy but it isn’t really because it’s heavily subsidised and, of course, if the people that build them have an issue where they need to connect to the grid, they want…
DetailsTREVOR SCOTT: … there’s no need for me to tell you that the River is the lifeblood of our community and many communities along the River and we’re still wondering how it’s going to pan out the Murray-Darling Basin and there seems that there may be some funding worries that we have…
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