back to article Australia to probe Web giants' impact on news, ads, competition

Australia's government has fulfilled a promise to probe Web giants' impact on the media, news and advertising businesses. The land down under recently re-wrote its laws on media ownership, to allow greater concentration of ownership. That law was contentious, given that a certain R Murdoch already dominates Australian media. …

  1. Tim99 Silver badge
    Meh

    Impact

    "Australia's government has fulfilled a promise to probe Web giants' impact on the media, news and advertising businesses." How dare they not cater to the needs of the Murdoch empire and the LNP. They have worked hard to put the right people at the top of the ABC, and now they need to do something with these apparently powerful upstarts.

    I am genuinely in two minds about this - Google and Facebook really need looking at, but the LNP's track record on regulation of the media and the internet suggests that whatever they come up with will be worse than the current situation.

  2. Ole Juul

    impact of advertising isn't new

    Imagine what the car industry would look like without advertising. Political campaigns have always been won by the amount of spend. And so on. These government probers aren't going to even touch the root problem here.

    1. Oengus
      Black Helicopters

      Re: impact of advertising isn't new

      These government probers aren't going to even touch the root problem here.

      When did a government enquiry (especially an Australian government enquiry) ever get to the root of the problem? They are merely to placate the masses and make it look like the government is doing something (or cares about the general public).

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: impact of advertising isn't new

      Political campaigns have always been won by the amount of spend.

      The best government money can buy is not the way to run a country or even a state. Just look at the problems South Australia is having with power where the government is pouring money down the pan on things that are only a stopgap at the best rather than drop ideology and get the real answer.

    3. GrumpyKiwi

      Re: impact of advertising isn't new

      **Political campaigns have always been won by the amount of spend**

      Pretty sure that isn't the case or Hillary would have won against Trump. Or why it took the billionaire Bloomberg four attempts at NY's mayoralty to win? For that matter, hasn't the Liberal party always outspent Labor? If your overall message and branding is shyte there is only so much that advertising can do to compensate.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: impact of advertising isn't new

        It is kind of the case in that there is a definite and suitably large "entry fee" otherwise known as campaign funding and is precisely why you end up with two party systems.

  3. Oengus

    Prediction

    On current trends that means the probe's recommendations will land in the hands of an incoming Labor Party government of rather more progressive political hue than Australia's current elected rulers.

    Simon predicting the next Australian election... You read it here first...

  4. Stuart21551

    Why not look at ALL media? Esp the big boys -

    1. Mark 65

      Obviously digital media has been a little slow with the lobbying dollars compared with old media and hence needed a little prompting. Cue increased donations whilst this goes on and a prompt forgetting all about it after the election.

  5. Mark 65

    Timeline

    It's also a timeframe that will see the final report delivered after Australia's next election

    You expected them to not make it someone else's problem or forgettable?

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