Labor set to oppose Greens’ plea to establish a Murdoch royal commission

Labor is set to oppose a new bill that would establish a royal commission into the Murdoch media empire in favour of pursuing legislative reform.

The bill, introduced to the Senate by Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young this week, would establish a parliamentary inquiry with the powers of a royal commission into the “Murdoch media mafia” and media diversity in Australia.

The inquiry would probe whether the existing system of media regulation in Australia is fit for purpose. It would also look into the concentration of media ownership in Australia and the impact of media ownership laws.

It would also scrutinise the relationship between the media and government, examine whether fear of retribution in the press has hampered the creation of public policy, and mount a case for establishing a single, independent media regulator to “harmonise news media standards” and handle complaints.

“There is growing unease across the chamber about the influence of the Murdoch media and its corrosive effects on our democracy,” Hanson-Young told Crikey.

“This week is just another example of the harm the Murdoch media inflicts. Publishing leaked text messages to prosecute a political attack with no regard to a young woman’s welfare or the public interest is a disgrace,” she said, in reference to leaked text messages between Brittany Higgins and Labor Senator Katy Gallagher that appeared in the News Corp newspapers, which suggested Gallagher had misled Parliament.

Even still, Labor looks likely to oppose the bill when it goes to a vote among Senate committee members. A spokesperson for Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said the government has “been consistent” in saying a royal commission is “not the way forward” for media policy in Australia.

“The government is focused on implementing a media reform program that includes legislative reform, the development of a news measurement framework for diversity and localism in the digital era,” they told Crikey.  

It will also include “direct support for regional and local publishers, community broadcasting and the national broadcasters as well as the News MAP — an evidence-based framework to guide government intervention to support public interest journalism and media diversity”.

Members of the lower house crossbench have this week also issued calls for media reform, following News Corp’s reporting on messages sent between Higgins and Gallagher. Independent MPs Zali Steggall and Zoe Daniel each called for strengthened privacy standards and a review of the self-regulatory framework the industry currently operates within.

The matter of a royal commission, however, remains one with waning support among the major parties. So far it has failed to drive even a superficial wedge between the cabinet and Labor Party elders, including former prime minister Kevin Rudd, who was appointed by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to the post of ambassador to the United States.

Before that, Rudd was a vocal critic of the Murdoch media empire, and served as chair on the campaign for a News Corp royal commission. He led a record-breaking e-petition to Parliament in 2021 calling for a royal commission, which attracted more than 500,000 signatures.

When Crikey first reported news of the bill’s path to the Senate in early May, which was later held up in the throes of post-budget debate, the campaign’s national director Kirsti Gorringe said she was pleased to finally see it make its way to Parliament.

“The political will to take on the Murdochs — and win — has never been stronger. And with the evidence of Fox interference in US elections, the rationale has never been clearer,” Gorringe told Crikey.

“The Greens, and the crossbench, are championing this call in the absence of government action. But they can’t ignore the biggest petition in Australian history, or this campaign, forever.”