Communications Minister Helen Coonan is in denial over the inevitable concentration of media following changes to media laws, Labor communications spokesman Stephen Conroy said last week.

Coonan’s in denial – and everyone else is confused.

Last week the Minister warned that any mooted deals based on the new laws could not suddenly come into being once the laws were passed because of regulatory requirements.

Fair enough – but there’s more, as The Australian reported on Wednesday:

Senator Coonan refused to confirm whether the laws would be proclaimed by next April.

“It’s obviously going to have some market sensitivity so I’m not going to confirm when it’s likely to be, but clearly it’s going to be next year,” she said.

Crikey understands that Coonan was even vaguer about timeframes at a private function late last week. There is a possibility that laws may not be proclaimed until the end of the year.

So much for the Government providing certainty.

Coonan and the Prime Minister have said that the new media laws are a package for the future. And it seems for now they’re also saying tomorrow never comes.