Major Australian media companies previously opposed scrapping ownership restrictions on the basis it would make the media landscape less diverse, but many have now switched camps and support scrapping the ownership restrictions, claiming the overhaul will help them improve commercial viability. “This is a package of measures that will support Australian journalism,” Nick Xenophon told the Senate on Wednesday night. But the Labor senator Sam Dastyari rounded on Xenophon after he outlined the terms of his deal to the Senate. The communications minister Mitch Fifield said the strongest diversity protections were commercially viable media companies, not legislative controls, and commercial viability would ensure “strong media voices” into the future. The Senate was continuing to debate the media package on Wednesday night.

Source: The Guardian September 13, 2017 12:20 UTC