Rupert Murdoch reflects on 60th anniversary of his newspaper The Australian
Media mogul Rupert Murdoch believes Australia will need to keep its bonds with the US strong to ensure its sovereignty remains secure amid the rise of China.
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Media mogul Rupert Murdoch says the best way for Australia to fight off threats to its national security and economy amid the threat of China is to “stick close to America”.
In an interview for a Sky News documentary commemorating the 60th anniversary of The Australian, the newspaper he created, Mr Murdoch said it was important “to have a strong, vibrant America”.
When asked what Australia needed to do to maintain its sovereignty in terms of defence and economic policy, as China flexes its muscle in the region, Mr Murdoch was quick to reply.
“No question, it’s got to stick close to America,” he said.
“It’s all moving pieces, and you can’t predict everything.
“But we’ve got to get America right.
“There’s no alternative to having a strong, vibrant America.”
China, which has never renounced the use of force to bring its neighbour Taiwan under its control, is another issue being closely monitored.
President Joe Biden has previously made public comments that seemed to suggest the US would defend Taiwan if it were attacked, a move away from the long-held policy of “strategic ambiguity”.
“They walked that back … they’ve got the greatest fighting force in the world,” Mr Murdoch said, explaining why he didn’t believe the US would intervene.
“You’ve got to move them thousands of miles across the Pacific Ocean to go there.
“If you put aircraft carriers, the Chinese can sink those with one rocket.”
Mr Murdoch also gave his views on other issues affecting Australia and the media.
He said he expected Australia would become a republic and said last year’s referendum on the Voice was a mistake
Mr Murdoch said he believed “without a doubt” Australia will become a republic by the time The Australian reaches its 70th anniversary in a decade’s time.
“It’s going to evolve,” he said.
Recalling the 1999 referendum where 54.7 per cent of Australians voted to stay in the Commonwealth, Mr Murdoch said former prime minister John Howard paved the way for the decision despite The Australian being in favour of the nation becoming a republic.
“John Howard, who’s old fashioned and therefore a monarchist I guess, was very clever the way he designed the question that was put to people, which is really what he put in its place,” Mr Murdoch said.
“It’s going to happen.”
Despite their differing opinions on Australia becoming a republic, Mr Murdoch said Mr Howard had been the prime minister who had impressed him the most over his decades in the media.
“You’ve got to give very high marks to John Howard,” he said, when asked which leader had made the biggest impact.
“To make the biggest noise and some change – Gough Whitlam. It was a big turning point, I think.
“You had (Malcolm) Fraser who beat him – he was I think a disappointment.
“I think John Howard was a mature man who ran the country well and through a lot of this development.”
Mr Murdoch said he had been “very” proud of how The Australian had covered Indigenous issues over its 70 years.
However, he said Australia made the right decision when it voted against giving a Voice to Parliament for the Indigenous people.
“I understand the motive, but it struck me as something which would end up being divisive, without really achieving anything for the Aboriginals,” he said.
“So from what little I know about it, I certainly welcome the result.”
Mr Murdoch also said Australia was “absolutely on the wrong track” to achieve net zero.
“I’m not a climate denier,” he said.
“ I might be a sceptic of some of the things that are said but you’re going to have blackouts … (and) the cost of living will go up all over the world.
“But there are things to do, abolish coal and have natural gas which is cheap and clean.
“In Australia we’re throwing away gas. I just think we’re damaging ourselves competitively and foolishly.”
When asked about the future of journalism and the rise of artificial intelligence, Mr Murdoch said the new technology would be a “force for good” that the media should embrace.
“We’ve got to settle this, but absolutely it’s a great technological breakthrough,” he said.
“It takes these vast quantum computers, which give answers in split seconds.
“Now it can be made to do bad things, but equally you can make things which counter that.
“I don’t think there’s any doubt … it’ll put people out of work – when it does that, it’ll create wealth and that wealth will be devoted to some new industries and new employment.”
As for the physical newspaper, Mr Murdoch gives the industry 15 years “with a lot of luck” to survive unless mastheads such as The Australian adapted to emerging technologies, including AI, to best reach the reader.
“You get on a train, take public transport, you see anyone with a paper? You see no one now,” he said.
“They’re reading all the facts on their phones.
“So if you want to reach them, and you’ve got a great label, you can charge for that access.”
The Australian: 60 Years of News is available to stream at SkyNews.com.au or on the Sky News Australia app.
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