Turnbull failed to reform media, says ex-News boss Hartigan

FORMER News Corp boss John Hartigan has launched a blistering attack against Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

John Hartigan, former CEO of News Ltd has been appointed chairman of Prime Media Group.

FORMER News Corp boss John Hartigan has launched a blistering attack against Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull for failing to deliver promised media laws.

While the government moved to abolish key media ownership and concentration laws a year ago, it had put the brakes on the repeal of key pieces of legislation introduced in a pre-internet era.

“Malcolm Turnbull reckons he can sell tough reform, but his track record in his own portfolio is woeful,” said Mr Hartigan, the chairman of regional TV company Prime Media Group.

“The minister likes to talk the talk when discussing the economy, but when it comes to tackling much-needed media reform in his own portfolio, I wonder if he will walk the walk.”

Mr Hartigan questioned Mr Turnbull’s reform credentials a day after Mr Turnbull stressed the need for budget cuts during a speech to the Brisbane Club.

“Turnbull claims that being ‘thoroughly Australian’ means being disrespectful of authority, lacking in deference, unafraid to call it how he sees it if current practice or accepted wisdom are not cutting it, yet, since he became Minister for Communications, he has failed to do anything to address the anachronistic media legislation,” Mr Hartigan said.

He also lashed out at Mr Turnbull for staying silent after Nine chief executive David Gyngell told The Australian regional TV stations would become increasingly “irrelevant” as the National Broadband Network rolled out.

Mr Gyngell said the internet had opened up a new avenue for broadcasters to reach regional populations via online streaming services, reducing the need for metropolitan networks to strike affiliation agreements with regional networks such as Prime.

“When one media CEO claimed recently that regional broadcasting could shortly be irrelevant, Turnbull chose to stay mute,” Mr Hartigan said. “It seems to me that the minister isn’t particularly interested in regional Australians and regional jobs.”

After a series of summits with media bosses, Mr Turnbull put the brakes on changes to media ownership and concentration laws as overseas tech ­giants launched services in Australia.

“There is a serious imbalance in the market, with some media companies able to secure unfettered, unregulated and unrestricted access to Australian television audiences and advertisers via the internet,” Mr Hartigan said.

A spokesman for Mr Turnbull declined to comment.