On the attack: Rob Oakeshott. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen
The Gillard government's controversial media reforms are teetering on the brink of defeat after crucial independent Rob Oakeshott told Prime Minister Julia Gillard he would vote against all six bills.
Mr Oakeshott said he was unable to support the reforms because of ''weak policy and poor process'' and the government's handling of the issue had turned it into an ''own goal''.
Mr Oakeshott had previously said he was ''disinclined'' to support the package but the government had hoped to win him over during last-minute negotiations.
Rushed process: Greg Hywood. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen
''Sadly, this needs to go back to the drawing board,'' he said.
The government needs the votes of five out of the seven crossbench MPs for the media bills, which it insists must pass the House of Representatives by Tuesday.
With debate due to begin on Tuesday morning, it has no definite commitments of support, with all crossbench MPs raising concerns about aspects of the policy and the rushed time frame they had been given to consider it.
Bill challenge: Kim Williams. Photo: Andrew Meares
Some of the worries are shared by government ministers who were presented with the reforms as a fait accompli at last Tuesday's cabinet meeting and have been dismayed at the immediate backlash.
Greens leader Christine Milne said on Monday night her party would back the reforms if two amendments were made: tightening the public interest test to protect Australian content and local news, and making changes to stop any proliferation of press councils.
''We want to make sure that local and regional news is protected and that goes to the public interest test,'' she said. ''We also want to make sure that we don't see a proliferation of press councils around the country - that would be the wrong direction.''
The government has said if the bills are not passed through both houses of Parliament by the end of the week, they will be withdrawn.
The reforms were roundly attacked by executives from all major media companies who travelled to Canberra to express deep concerns at two committee hearings over more than 10 hours.
News Ltd chief executive Kim Williams indicated he could launch a High Court challenge against the bills if they became law, saying they were a ''direct government intervention and regulation of the media'' and ''a direct attack on free speech, innovation, investment and job creation''.
Other media executives were also concerned about the haste with which the complex reforms had been rammed through Parliament.
Fairfax Media chief executive Greg Hywood said: ''To be plain, the impression, voiced almost universally over the weekend, is that the process is at least unseemingly rushed and the bills mirror that state of affairs.''
Seven Network chairman Kerry Stokes said in his 40-year career he has never seen ''the breadth of legislation being pushed through'' in such a short space of time.
''I can only recall legislation being pushed in this haste in the wake of 9/11,'' Mr Stokes said.
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