Principles
The Greens NSW believe that:
1. Media freedom, which necessitates diverse, affordable and accessible media and communications systems, is integral to the functioning of a successful democratic society.
2. Everyone should be able to access a variety of affordable telecommunications.
3. Media diversity in content and format is everyone’s right.
4. Australian content should be strongly supported and well-funded.
5. Strong, independent public and community media are an essential part of Australia's media sector.
6. Australia must have an independent regulatory framework for media, communications and advertising.
7. Public ownership of essential communications infrastructure and diversity of commercial media ownership is in the best interests of a democratic society.
8. Business models based on social ownership can provide for a more democratic and pluralistic culture within media outlets.
9. Net neutrality is important for an open internet.
10. For-profit corporations which operate as effective monopolies pose a threat to a free and open internet.
11. Major digital platforms and processes are essential to the functioning of a modern society, and therefore should be treated as public utilities and regulated in the public interest.
12. The government should regulate digital platforms in the public interest and prioritise addressing the underlying harmful business models of digital platforms to control data harvesting.
13. Digitalisation of broadcasting and other services requires government support and a public education campaign.
14. Documents placed in the public domain by the government should be accessible with free non-proprietary software, and public data should be available in open, interoperable formats.
15. The government should lead by example and embrace open source and open standards.
16. Strong national standards are needed to promote a wider representation of people in all their diversity and to prevent harmful stereotyping.
17. Disinformation and misinformation pose a threat to democracy, public discourse, and health & safety.
18. Public funding should be increased for public interest journalism generated by independent and diverse outlets across all media platforms.
19. All media outlets should adhere to the MEAA's Journalist Code of Ethics or a credible equivalent set of standards.
20. Coverage of significant events should be free-to-air.
21. Journalists and those who aid their work should not face jail for news reporting in the public interest.
22. State-based defamation laws should be harmonised with a unified national defamation law to prevent court shopping and provide consistency across the country.
23. It should not be possible for the legal system to be manipulated to suppress any information before the Court, unless arguments to the contrary have been rigorously tested and are shown to be robust. Open courts ought to be the default.
Aims
The Greens NSW want:
24. Legal protection for all publishers and journalists engaged in public interest journalism from being forced to reveal their sources, including whistle-blowers.
25. Warrant applications for police raids on journalists and media companies to be issued only by superior courts and journalists to be able to challenge warrants before they are implemented.
26. Truth in political advertising laws to be legislated and an independent authority to investigate complaints.
27. Uniform legislation to be adopted to protect whistle-blowers and their legal representation from prosecution and reprisals
28. NSW to work towards further harmonising national defamation law, which should include:
- A single publication rule;
- A public interest defence; and
- Placing the burden of proof on the complainant, who must show serious harm and the falsity of the claim.
29. A unified, nationally consistent approach to Court Suppression Orders, where suppression orders are to be publicly justified and notified to the media.
30. An increased number of women in senior media positions and gender equality at all levels of the media industry.
31. To resource reporting of local affairs to ensure consistent and quality coverage of local government, courts and community affairs in the public interest, with secure jobs for journalists.
32. The current Australian content quotas for television, radio and streaming services to be increased.
33. Adequate public funding, and incentives to encourage private funding to maintain a healthy Australian film industry and to ensure Australia's cultural media history is preserved and protected.
34. Our public broadcasters ABC and SBS to continue as leaders in the production of independent news, investigative journalism, analysis, entertainment and innovative programming, free of advertising, all publicly-funded.
35. The ABC and the SBS to be governed by boards independent of government that include staff-elected representation.
36. A vibrant and adequately publicly-funded community media sector providing services that reflect geographical and cultural diversity.
37. Incentives for small and medium-sized media organisations to expand the publishing of investigative journalism.
38. The establishment of one independent media industry body to regulate all media sectors with adequate funding and powers.
39. Diversity of both opinion and ownership of media across Australia and strict protections against the concentration or monopolisation of media ownership.
40. Reform to competition laws to minimise future consolidation of media companies.
41. To break up the concentrated ownership of large media organisations through government regulation and divestment, mandating that stock is offered to employees before private investors during divestment.
42. Individuals to be protected from defamation actions designed to stifle participation in public debates.
43. A nationally consistent approach to the regulated sale of X-rated material.
44. Effective regulation of the digital games industry to ensure children are not exposed to excessive violence or sexual content.
45. Transparency and public accountability for the NSW workings within the Australian Classification Board and the Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) and the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) website blacklist.
46. The equitable installation of new communications infrastructure across NSW.
47. Affordable and reliable high speed internet connections available for the community.
48. NBN to focus on ‘fibre to the premises’ infrastructure rather than ‘fibre to the node’, to ensure effective investment of resources in a long-lasting advanced telecommunications system for the benefit of all residents.
49. The installation of communications infrastructure, including mobile phone towers, to be subject to improved state, territory and local government planning provisions and community consultation.
50. Australia Post to remain a publicly-owned provider of postal services.
51. A not-for-profit mobile, landline and internet retailing service made available to the community.
52. Taxation of corporations that own search engines, social media and large media conglomerates in order to financially sustain socially-owned or independent media outlets.
53. Regulation of the internet to be transparent, accountable and protective of privacy, freedom of speech and access to information.
54. The establishment of a national regulatory framework and energy efficiency standard for data centres.
55. Sufficient resources and funding for libraries to improve their digital services.
56. A reduction in the timeframe of the transition of intellectual property into the public domain.
57. Legislative recognition of a broader array of copyright licence types.
58. The reform of copyright and licensing schemes to give legal protection and clearer guidelines for fair use, crown copyright and public domain works.
59. Government to provide policy frameworks supportive of open standards and free open source software, and support government, business, education and other sectors to derive sustainable advantages through adoption of open standards.
60. Free and open publishing of publicly-funded academic research within a 12-month period of initial publication and the establishment and resourcing of a research archive for this research.
Revised October 2022