Media reform future in hands of crossbenchers after Labor opposes Bill

The Labor party has decided to oppose long-awaited plans to remove regulation from legacy media companies in Australia as they vie to stay competitive with the likes of Google and Facebook.

Mitch Fifield blasted Labor for opposing reforms

Last night a parliamentary committee, which oversaw last month’s hearings into media reform, handed down a report supporting the abolition of the two-out-of-three and 75% reach rules.

However, Labor members on the committee tabled a separate report saying while it supports lifting the 75% reach rule which prevents a media company broadcasting to more than 75% of the population, it opposes getting rid of the two-out-of-three rule – which stops companies from owning each of a TV network, radio network and newspapers.