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Reviewing Media Pluralism in Australia

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Media Pluralism and Diversity

Part of the book series: Palgrave Global Media Policy and Business ((GMPB))

Abstract

Like other jurisdictions considered in this collection, Australia is experiencing change in the way in which media is presented and received. Technological developments are challenging established business models as well as policy and regulatory settings.1 During 2011, a review was established by the Australian Government to consider how policy and regulation might be remodelled to meet these challenges. Known as the ‘Convergence Review’, it was given a broad remit to undertake a comprehensive review of Australian communications and media regulation (Conroy 2010). In April 2012, the Convergence Review Committee (the Review Committee) delivered its final report.2 The deliberations of the Review Committee provide a useful means of assessing contemporary media pluralism policy thinking in Australia. Australia does not use the media pluralism monitor, developed by the EU MPM Study (KU Leuven — ICRI et al. 2009), nor does it have anything similar. There is a high level of media ownership and control concentration, and vertical integration, but this tends to be accepted as a matter of fact, without much appetite for tackling these competitive constraints (DBCDE 2011a, p. 12).

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© 2015 Lesley Hitchens

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Hitchens, L. (2015). Reviewing Media Pluralism in Australia. In: Valcke, P., Sükösd, M., Picard, R.G. (eds) Media Pluralism and Diversity. Palgrave Global Media Policy and Business. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137304308_15

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