THE Treasurer, Wayne Swan, yesterday widened the media debate by attacking News Ltd's tabloid The Daily Telegraph not for its methods of obtaining stories, but for its negative coverage of the carbon tax.
''It's their right to do that but they can't pretend that the coverage is balanced,'' he said.
His government is still considering how to handle a push by the Greens leader, Bob Brown, for an inquiry into media ownership and practices - a call that comes despite an inquiry into all media regulation having been under way for six months. The ''convergence review'' is so broad it covers virtually every media regulation on the books.
It now covers ethics and accuracy, ownership and control, fairness and civility - and the former prime minister Paul Keating has added to the mix a right to sue for invasion of privacy.
An inquiry of some kind now appears likely in Australia thanks to the conduct of News International newspapers in Britain - having the tacit support of the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, and the explicit backing of a key independent.
'The chairman of the review, Glen Boreham, said rules about media diversity came within its purview, and journalism standards had already been raised among public submissions.
The independent MP Rob Oakeshott said it was now only a matter of choosing the type of inquiry. ''I think this is going to happen and I think it's the right time, and for the right reasons,'' he said.
''You don't want to trample on a free press, you don't want to trample scrutiny of public figures. But you do want truth to matter and not to be a victim.''
The opposition spokesman on communications, Malcolm Turnbull, disagreed, dismissing the need for a review or tighter regulation. ''The proliferation of internet news outlets and of course the ready availability of foreign news sources
in Australia means that the media scene in Australia is more competitive than ever.''
But Tim Dwyer, a senior lecturer in media and communications at the University of Sydney, said: ''That is not a very persuasive argument as people are still getting news from the major brands,'' particularly News Ltd and Fairfax Media, the publisher of the Herald.
Meanwhile the Resources Minister, Martin Ferguson, has accused the managing director of the ABC, Mark Scott, of acting inappropriately by contacting him about the tender for the Australia Network, the $223 million contract for the country's foreign television service.
Mr Scott denies he raised details of the tender but Mr Ferguson told the ABC: ''I didn't think it was appropriate that he contacted me about confidential cabinet processes.'' A spokesman for News Ltd, Greg Baxter, said: ''This debate has been coming for a long time.
''If the Prime Minister or government or Senator Brown think that some inquiry into media ownership and media behaviour is needed, then it seems obvious that we would make it part of the convergence review,'' he said.
Regardless, events are being still led from overseas. James and Rupert Murdoch have been forced to agree to be interrogated by the British Parliament on Tuesday after they were warned they risked contempt if they did not.
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