Laura McClure: ACT MP on the axing of the Broadcasting Standards Authority

ACT's welcoming the death of the Broadcasting Standards Authority, but wants the Government to move quickly.  

Media and Communications Minister Paul Goldsmith announced the regulator will be disestablished, as it’s unfit for a modern media environment. 

Laura McClure says the decision's long overdue, and the Government needs to pass legislation.  

She told Ryan Bridge that it’s a huge win for freedom of speech in New Zealand. 

McClure says the BSA was the regulating body for mainstream media, but it doesn’t cover anything else, and young people in particular are consuming media everywhere, whether it’s online or on social media.  

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
So BSA has gone government getting rid of it. Social
media taking over traditional media doesn't make sense to have
it anymore. So the plan now is to shift to
a self regulated model. Laura McClure, ACTMP had a member's
bill to get rid of the thing, is doing victory
laps this morning.

Speaker 2 (00:15):
Laura, good morning, Hey, good morning, Ryan.

Speaker 1 (00:18):
You're happy with this.

Speaker 2 (00:20):
Oh, look, absolutely, it's a huge one for freedom of
speech here in New Zealand. But yeah, it's the BSA
was well and truly outdated and it's time that it went.

Speaker 1 (00:32):
What types of things should you not be able to
say on the radio or on a podcast or on
an online streaming show.

Speaker 2 (00:41):
Well, look, I think the point of that question is
that is absolutely up for debate and the BSA the
mechanism of the BSA was to essentially well regulate or
be the regulating body for our mainstream media, and part

(01:01):
of that was up to them to decide, you know,
uphold complaints. But it doesn't actually cover anything else from
our mainstream media. And we know that young people in
particular are consuming their media everywhere, whether it's online, whether
it's on their social media, so you know, it's look
that is that is up for debate, but I don't
believe the BSA was the right is the right platform

(01:22):
to be able to discuss that.

Speaker 1 (01:24):
It's interesting you talk about social media a lot of
young people, that's obviously their main source of news just
of life in general. So isn't the message here really
to parents in particular that you need to school your
your children on how to understand what is right, what
is wrong, and what is fact and what is fiction.

Speaker 2 (01:47):
Yeah? Absolutely, Look, it's definitely a parent's job. It's definitely
part of our education where young people are online, and
I believe that you know, we need to do We
need to do absolutely, but more when it comes to
teaching our it's about the online environment and you know
how to spot right wrong, disinformation, misinformation because the issue
isn't really with mainstream media, it's with you know, anything

(02:11):
that we can consume online.

Speaker 1 (02:13):
That's a wild west out there. Laura, good to have
you on the show. Laura McLure ADMP with us this morning.
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