Red Underchunders Man!

“If it fails, it'll be because the independents and minor parties don't want to protect diversity of media in this country.”

Communications Minister Stephen Conroy

What a blithering twat this man is!  Stephen Conroy may well be seen to wear red underwear on his own head – rather than dictate to Telco managers what they should wear on their heads in his presence!

I’ve read a bit about this last-ditch attempt by Senator Stephen Conroy to enforce censorship onto Australians – by hook or by crook.  Conroy’s first venture into the dark realm of state-orchestrated censorship was a few years ago when he proposed a mandatory internet filter.  And look how well that thought-bubble worked out!

Conroy’s next thought-bubble, the mind-numbingly expensive NBN (fibre to the home) may well be capable of picking up the slack where the mandatory internet filter left off, of course.  Hopefully by the end of this year, we will have some adults running the country and quite capable of neutering some of Conroy’s follies, including his last thought-bubble, bringing the media to heel by way of re-jigging media laws.  Affecting in particular, green elf Bob Brown’s “hate media” (the Murdoch stable) because parts of the press must never be critical of pixie notions and outrageously expensive green dreams.   It’s just not cricket to make nice Mr. Brown cry!  Nor Ms. Gillard for that matter.  Heck, delving into her shady past and attempting to publish can get you sacked.  Just ask Glenn Milne and Michael Smith.  So the moronic solution is to slap controls onto the Press.  Good one, Conroy so let’s see how that flies next week.   Will Conroy get this rubbish past the Lower House by Tuesday?   I hope sense prevails and the Bill is shafted – as it should be.

There’s speculation, of course, that introduction of this Bill along with the no barter appendage and the ridiculous timeframe imposed for passage is simply a ruse to deflect attention away from a fatally wounded Prime Minister and the possibility of a friendless shove out of office next week.  No tactic is beyond this desperately unhinged Government.

The Federal Labor Party has a bucket load of stuff ups on which to lose the upcoming election.  This Press-hobbling legislation is just another.

The proposed changes as lifted from the ABC article, linked here:

Proposed media reforms

The appointment of a Public Interest Media Advocate (PIMA) to oversee self-regulatory bodies such as the Press Council.

The PIMA, who will be appointed by the Minister, will decree whether a media complaints handling body is "authorised". Only media organisations that are members of an authorised body are able to maintain their exemptions to privacy laws.

The PIMA will also use a new public interest test to allow or prevent nationally significant media mergers.

An extension of the Government's commercial television licence fee rebate - saving free-to-air television networks an estimated $134 million this financial year.

A removal of the 75 per cent audience reach rule that prevents metropolitan television stations from owning partners in regional areas.

An update to the charters governing the ethics and behaviour of the ABC and SBS to reflect online and digital activities.