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Pay TV exemption for gambling ads riles rival broadcasters

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Original article by Andrew Tillett
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 2 : 8-Feb-18

Free-to-air TV networks have urged the Federal Government to ensure a level playing field regarding its a ban on gambling advertisements during live sports broadcasts. The Australian Subscription Television & Radio Association wants an exemption from the ban for pay-TV sports channels that have low ratings, arguing that they are mainly watched by adults. The proposed exemption, which is outlined in ASTRA’s new draft code of practice for pay-TV, is also opposed by the Greens, the Nick Xenophon Team and Responsible Wagering Australia.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN SUBSCRIPTION TELEVISION AND RADIO ASSOCIATION (ASTRA) INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, NICK XENOPHON TEAM, RESPONSIBLE WAGERING AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, SPORTSBET AUSTRALIA, LADBROKES, CROWNBET PTY LTD, BETFAIR AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Spy laws: New A-G concedes ground

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Original article by Simon Benson, Nicola Berkovic
The Australian – Page: 1 & 8 : 8-Feb-18

The Federal Government has responded to the media industry’s concerns about its proposed foreign interference laws by agreeing to some safeguards for journalists. Attorney-General Christian Porter has advised that journalists who receive classified information will only face criminal prosecution under certain circumstances, such as if reporting on the information could potentially affect public safety or pose a threat to national security. However, commonwealth officers who leak confidential information will not receive any such exemption.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, LAW COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN SECURITY INTELLIGENCE ORGANISATION, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, ASHURST AUSTRALIA

Wesfarmers hit as Bunnings UK bleeds

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Original article by Eli Greenblat
The Australian – Page: 17 & 20 : 6-Feb-18

Perth-based conglomerate Wesfarmers has announced some $A1.3bn worth of writedowns associated with the Target discount department store chain and the fledgling Bunnings operations in the UK. Wesfarmers CEO Rob Scott is optimistic that Bunnings UK can become profitable, but a sweeping review of the business will be undertaken which could potentially result in its sale or closure. Scott has vowed that Wesfarmers will act quickly and decisively on the outcome of the review of its Bunnings UK business.

CORPORATES
WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, BUNNINGS GROUP LIMITED, TARGET AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, WOOLWORTHS LIQUOR, MASTERS HOME IMPROVEMENT AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, ARGO INVESTMENTS LIMITED – ASX ARG

Fairfax and NZME fight for merger

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 24 : 6-Feb-18

NZME says an appeal against the High Court of New Zealand’s decision to block a proposed merger with Fairfax NZ will focus on the court’s assessment of the deal’s impact on media plurality. The court upheld the NZ Commerce Commission’s decision in May 2017 to block the deal, although NZME notes that the court found that the merger would have more quantifiable net benefits to the public than had been estimated by the NZCC. Fairfax Media will also challenge the court’s decision.

CORPORATES
NZME LIMITED – ASX NZM, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, FAIRFAX NEW ZEALAND LIMITED, NEW ZEALAND. COMMERCE COMMISSION, HIGH COURT OF NEW ZEALAND

New spy laws to hinder legitimate work of media

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Original article by Ean Higgins
The Australian – Page: 1 & 5 : 6-Feb-18

Attorney-General Christian Porter has conceded that some changes to proposed foreign interference laws may be needed to alleviate the concerns of the media industry. Robert Todd of law firm Ashurst has warned that the laws as presently drafted could potentially make a wide range of persons criminally liable for dealing with confidential information. He says the proposed laws provide very limited protection for journalists, while there would be almost no protection for other people, including social media users.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, ASHURST AUSTRALIA, MEDIA, ENTERTAINMENT AND ARTS ALLIANCE, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS

News leaders unite to resist spy laws that could criminalise journalism

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Original article by Dana McCauley
The Australian – Page: 24 & 26 : 5-Feb-18

The media industry has expressed concern about the broader implications of the Federal Government’s foreign interference bill on freedom of the press. Paul Whittaker, the editor-in-chief of "The Australian", says journalists could breach the new offence of handling classified information simply by seeking to confirm the validity of a document they have received. "Herald Sun" editor Damon Johnston warns that the legislation could potentially be used by a future government to silence the media, while the ABC’s John Lyons argues that media companies already have sufficient procedures in place for handling confidential information.

CORPORATES
NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, AUSTRALIAN SECURITY INTELLIGENCE ORGANISATION, UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Spy law imperils journalists, ex-judge warns

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Original article by Nicola Berkovic
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 2-Feb-18

Transparency International Australia chairman and former Supreme Court of New South Wales judge Anthony Whealy has warned about the potential effects of the Federal Government’s proposed foreign interference laws. He says the new secrecy laws could be used to prosecute journalists if they receive classified ­information. Whealy has called for the Government to provide an exemption for journalists if they are acting in the public interest. The media industry has expressed similar concerns about the proposed laws.

CORPORATES
TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL AUSTRALIA, SUPREME COURT OF NEW SOUTH WALES, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, HUMAN RIGHTS LAW CENTRE LIMITED

M&A talk as Gordon lifts Prime interest

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Original article by Dana McCauley, Bridget Carter
The Australian – Page: 21 : 2-Feb-18

Sources have indicated that WIN Corporation owner Bruce Gordon has increased his stake in Prime Media Group from 14.99 per cent to 24 per cent. The transaction, which is believed to have been carried out via cash-settled equity swaps, has prompted speculation that Gordon could seek to merge the two regional TV broadcasters in the wake of cross-media ownership reforms. Meanwhile, Perpetual has reduced its stake in Prime from 13.1 per cent to 7.4 per cent.

CORPORATES
PRIME MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX PRT, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, PERPETUAL LIMITED – ASX PPT, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, DEUTSCHE BANK AG

New Foxtel chief in hunt for millennials

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Original article by Dana McCauley
The Australian – Page: 19 : 1-Feb-18

Patrick Delany has succeeded Peter Tonagh as CEO of pay-TV group Foxtel ahead of its merger with Fox Sports Australia. Delany has been CEO of Fox Sports since 2011, and previously held a number of roles at Foxtel. He has flagged plans to expand Foxtel’s customer base, with a focus on increasing its market share among audience segments such as millennials. The merger of Foxtel and Fox Sports is expected to be completed within months.

CORPORATES
FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, VIRGIN AUSTRALIA HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX VAH

Journos face jail just for having information

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Original article by Primrose Riordan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 31-Jan-18

The media industry has expressed concern about the potential implications of proposed foreign interference laws. Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance CEO Paul Murphy has told a parliamentary committee that journalists and news editors could potentially face criminal charges simply for receiving confidential information. Foxtel’s Bruce Meagher warned that the pay-TV group could be forced to discontinue channels that are owned by foreign governments, while Georgia-Kate Schubert of News Corp says it is uncertain as to whether the legislation would apply to digital giants such as Facebook and Google.

CORPORATES
MEDIA, ENTERTAINMENT AND ARTS ALLIANCE, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FREE TV AUSTRALIA LIMITED, BRITISH BROADCASTING CORPORATION, AL JAZEERA, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, THE GROUP OF EIGHT LIMITED