By Rob Harding-Smith, CPD Researcher

In theory the media should diversify a nation’s democracy, serving as a channel through which many different groups can participate in national debate. Yet with the high levels of media concentration in Australia, are we hearing the voices of the many or simply the few?

CPD Researcher & intern Rob Harding-Smith submitted this report as part of research commissioned for Avaaz who are using this in their submission to the independent media inquiry being conducted by  the Department of Broadband, Communications and Digital Economy.

Main Points in the Discussion Paper:

• Australia’s print media ownership is much more highly concentrated than that of most other Western countries
• The ownership of Australian TV and radio is following the international trend towards increasing concentration
• Changes to Australia’s media ownership laws have tended to increase this concentration over time
• The emergence of new media does not remove the need for regulation to prevent too much media power from becoming concentrated in too few hands – all but one of the 12 news sites in Australia’s top 100 most visited sites are owned by major existing media outlets
• Audience and reader complaints about the media are increasing:
• Complaints to the government regulator of broadcasting, the Australian Communications and Media Authority, have risen 57% in 5 years, and complaints to the newspaper industry self-regulator the Australian Press Council, are 42% above the long-term average.

This publication was commissioned by Avaaz. CPD thanks Avaaz for the opportunity to help inform public debate on media ownership, regulation, and self-regulation.