Malcolm Turnbull might believe in media reform, but not before the next election
Malcolm Turnbull has signalled he wants to make digital disruption “our friend”, but Alex Hayes argues a year from an election he is unlikely to take on the thorny issue of media reform.
Tonight Malcolm Turnbull addressed press for the first time as Prime Minister designate and pledged to make Australia a “nation that is agile, that is innovative that is creative”.
The majority of Australia’s ‘traditional’ media company owners will be hoping that means the former Communications Minister will scrap a series of antiquated media laws. I’m not so sure.
Prime Minister designate Malcolm Turnbull
I think they’re gutless. Also, stupid, because paper tigers are renowned for being flimsy beasts. What exactly does anyone think Rupert can do?
He can’t actually do much. Its over-stated. “It woz the Sun wot won it” is not true just because people repeat it. It also took many years of relentless hard sniping to undermine Labour in the UK.
Rupert doesn’t have many years. Nor does his mastheads. If the write-downs are severe enough He’ll be shot of them faster than you can say ‘wendy’
Malcolm Turnbull won’t effect these reforms and frankly they won’t really help the free to air networks in any meaningful way as they struggle for relevance. Turnbull will simply wait as the Murdoch mastheads become increasingly impotent. It is a wonderful thing to see technology slowly muffle the voice of Murdoch. Good luck to Turnbull. He can run rings around his right wing colleagues. Only hubris can get him.
that was the truly exciting thing about Malcolm’s takeover – he didn’t appear to have Murdoch’s permission. Awesome!