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Attorney-General hits out at press campaign

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Original article by Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 2 : 25-Oct-19

Attorney-General Christian Porter has rejected suggestions that journalists should receive a blanket exemption from national security and criminal laws. Responding to the Right to Know campaign, Porter argued that allowing the media industry to contest the issuance of a warrant against a journalist could potentially stop the police from preventing a serious crime. He conceded that there is scope for changes in some areas, such as Freedom of Information laws.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, WIKILEAKS

Seven set to bring back Big Brother

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 19 : 24-Oct-19

The Seven Network will seek to boost its prime-time ratings in 2020 by reviving reality-TV shows ‘Big Brother’ and ‘Farmer Wants a Wife’, which previously aired on rival networks. Other new shows that were unveiled at Seven West Media’s annual upfronts include dramas ‘RFDS’ and ‘Between Two Worlds’, and a new cooking show that will be co-hosted by former ‘MasterChef’ judges Matt Preston and Gary Mehigan. CEO James Warburton says ‘Big Brother’ will immediately change the network’s audience demographic.

CORPORATES
SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, PACIFIC MAGAZINES PTY LTD, BAUER MEDIA AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, PRIME MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX PRT, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL

Rio eyes US lithium market with pilot plant

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Original article by Nick Evans
The Australian – Page: 19 : 23-Oct-19

Rio Tinto has approved the development of a $US10m ($14.6m) pilot plant that will produce lithium from waste rock at its borate operations in the US. Rio Tinto executive Bold Baatar says the company could potentially become the largest producer of battery-grade lithium in the US. Rio Tinto may invest $US50m in a full-scale processing plant if the trials are successful, producing about 5,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent each year.

CORPORATES
RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, ALBERMARLE CORPORATION, KIDMAN RESOURCES LIMITED, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, IONEER LIMITED – ASX INR

Content on ice as ABC still frozen

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Original article by Lilly Vitorovich
The Australian – Page: 2 : 23-Oct-19

The ABC’s MD David Anderson has told a Senate estimates committee hearing that the public broadcaster will have to find annual cost savings of about $40m from fiscal 2022 due to its funding freeze. He added that the cost of producing quality Australian content is rising, while the ABC is facing growing competition for audiences from international streaming video providers. Anderson also said a controversial documentary about One Nation was reviewed by editorial managers and lawyers before it was broadcast by the ABC in March.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, ONE NATION PARTY, AL JAZEERA, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, WALT DISNEY COMPANY

Seven West deal tests media diversity

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Original article by Zoe Samios
The Australian – Page: 22 : 23-Oct-19

Seven West Media’s proposed acquisition of regional affiliate Prime Media Group will attract scrutiny by the Australian Communications & Media Authority. ACMA chair Nerida O’Loughlin says the deal will be assessed in terms of whether it will reduce the number of media ‘voices’ in the Western Australian market and the application of the ‘two-to-a-market rule’. Seven West Media also publishes newspapers in Perth and regional areas.

CORPORATES
SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, PRIME MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX PRT, AUSTRALIAN COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA AUTHORITY, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, REDWAVE MEDIA LIMITED, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL

Chilling effect on the news

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 36 & 37 : 22-Oct-19

The Right to Know coalition is seeking to combat what it contends is the increased suppression of press freedom in Australia. Members of the group include Seven West Media, News Corp Australia, Nine Entertainment, the Media Entertainment & Arts Alliance and the ABC. The group believes that there are six key areas where reform is needed, including protections for whistleblowers, changes to the definition of what information should be regarded as secret and changes to defamation laws.

CORPORATES
SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, MEDIA, ENTERTAINMENT AND ARTS ALLIANCE, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION

PM tested on secrecy laws

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Original article by Rosie Lewis, Olivia Caisley
The Australian – Page: 1 & 5 : 22-Oct-19

The issue of press freedom came under scrutiny in federal parliament on 21 October. Prime Minister Scott Morrison stated that any decision to prosecute a journalist should be based on the rule of law rather than the "whim of politicians". Law Council of Australia president Arthur Moses has responded by calling for Attorney-General Christian Porter to withdraw a recently-issued directive to the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions regarding the prosecution of journalists for alleged breaches of four statutes.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, LAW COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, AUSTRALIA. DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC PROSECUTIONS

Harris Scarfe tops discount department store customer satisfaction

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 22-Oct-19

New research from Roy Morgan shows that Harris Scarfe has Australia’s most satisfied discount department store customers, with a satisfaction rating of 91% in September, putting it ahead of rivals Kmart and Best & Less (both on 89%). Big W and Costco are in equal fourth on 88%. The biggest improvement over the past year came from Harris Scarfe, which rose 5% points and Best & Less, which is up 3% points. Just outside the top five in September was Target Country, which increased 4% points to 87%, while Big W improved 1% point to 88%. Kmart and Costco are unchanged on a year ago. The latest victory for Harris Scarfe continues a run of monthly wins that puts the retailer in prime position to claim the year’s overall award for the first time since 2015. These are the latest results from Roy Morgan’s Discount Department Stores Satisfaction Report which is based on in-depth personal interviews conducted face-to-face with over 50,000 Australians each year in their own homes, including more than 8,500 who shop at a discount department store in an average four weeks.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, HARRIS SCARFE HOLDINGS LIMITED, KMART AUSTRALIA LIMITED, BEST AND LESS PTY LTD, BIG W DISCOUNT STORES, COSTCO WHOLESALE AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, TARGET COUNTRY

Why bitter magazine rivals Bauer, Pacific are poised to unite

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Original article by Zoe Samios
The Australian – Page: 17 & 20 : 21-Oct-19

There is general agreement within the media industry that the proposed sale of Pacific Magazines to Bauer Media Australia is necessary for the two businesses to be sustainable. Both publishers have been hard hit by the decline in advertising revenue and circulation over the last 10 years. Magazines now account for just one per cent of the industry’s advertising revenue, compared with seven per cent in 2009. Meanwhile, Bauer’s revenue fell 13.7 per cent to $224.3m in 2018, while Pacific Magazines’ revenue fell 7.2 per cent to $129.4m in 2018-19. Sources have suggested that a deal could be struck within days.

CORPORATES
BAUER MEDIA AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, PACIFIC MAGAZINES PTY LTD, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM

ABC savaged by union for underpaying casual employees

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Original article by Zoe Samios
The Australian – Page: 25 : 21-Oct-19

The Community & Public Sector Union has told its members that the ABC’s management had been made aware on "multiple occasions" that casual staff were being underpaid. The CPSU’s report notes amongst other things that the public broadcaster had breached the Fair Work Act and its own enterprise agreement by underpaying up to 2,500 casual employees. The ABC’s 2019 annual report notes that it has allocated more than $22m to compensating staff who were underpaid.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, COMMUNITY AND PUBLIC SECTOR UNION