Turnbull’s media reforms might not go far enough for Murdoch’s liking

In this cross-posting from The Conversation Ben Goldsmith of the Queensland University of Technology looks at why Rupert Murdoch voiced his displeasure at planned media reforms despite standing to gain.

Earlier this month, reports suggested that Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull is preparing to take a media reform package to cabinet. The Weekend Australian called it a “surprise move” and reported that media executives were “shocked”.

Turnbull reportedly wants to abolish the cross-media ownership and “reach” rules. He has long been a proponent of the view that these rules are outdated and have limited scope. He is also sympathetic to media companies’ claims that a lack of earnings growth, an uncertain advertising market, audience fragmentation across media platforms and the digital migration of advertisers have severely limited their capacity to grow.

So, what are Australia’s current media ownership regulations, and how do they work in practice?