Michelle Rowland Installed As New Communications Minister

Michelle Rowland Installed As New Communications Minister

Labor Party member Michelle Rowland has been given the role of Communications Minister in the newly-formed government led by Anthony Albanese.

Michelle Rowland has represented the Division of Greenway in the House of Representatives since 2010 and has been a member of the Shadow Ministry since 2013.

Born in Blacktown of Sydney, Rowland is a former local councillor and deputy mayor. Having graduated from Our Lady of Mercy College and the University of Sydney, Rowland was appointed as a senior telecommunications lawyer with law firm Gilbert and Tobin.

Since becoming a part of the shadow ministry in 2013, Rowland has held several different portfolios, including Shadow Ministry of Citizenship and Multiculturalism and Shadow Ministry of Communications.

Her appointment as Communications Minister was welcomed by the chief executive officer of Commercial Radio Australia, Ford Ennals.

“This is an excellent appointment. Minister Rowland has deep media expertise and the radio industry welcomes her stated commitment to bringing Australia’s media laws into the digital age,” said Ennals.

“We will be looking to meet with the Minister soon to discuss a broad range of policy issues, foremost of those will be how to ensure listeners can continue to have free and easy access to radio on new devices such as smart speakers and connected cars without undue interference from tech gatekeepers.

“Eighty per cent of Australians listen to commercial radio every week and the industry is a major provider of local news and information to regional areas, so it’s critical that action is taken now to level the playing field with digital platforms.

“The industry also remains focused on removing regulatory inequalities to ensure a sustainable future for commercial radio. One example is the media blackout rule, which prevented election advertising on radio during the final few days of the campaign but did not include digital media. This unnecessary rule has costly implications for our members, and inevitably flows through to the ability to fund content production and newsrooms,”




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