SIMON BIRMINGHAM: The Labor Party, through their internal wrangling, seems to be doing their best to destroy the old political adage that your worst day in government is always better than your best day in opposition. This Government is managing to tear itself apart from the inside and demonstrating to the rest of the…
DetailsPETER 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…
DetailsLYNDAL CURTIS: The Government’s still at least four votes shy of the number it needs to pass the bulk of its media reforms. Just one element the licence fee cut for commercial TV stations appears certain of victory, with the Coalition supporting it and it looks like the House of Representatives may…
DetailsKIERAN 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…
DetailsSIMON 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…
DetailsFRAN 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…
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…
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…
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)…
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