A lot of criticism has been directed at the ABC and Fairfax Media and others for bias in regards to their reporting. Whether that is true or not could and should be debated but the worst of all, Channel 7 has been badly missed. Channel 7’s corrupt conduct involves hundreds of millions of dollars being stolen from the tax payer to boost the profitability and value of Channel 7.
So when you wonder why there is so much corruption and fraud and theft in government and why the media like Channel 7 fail to report a lot of it, why we have to now work to 70, why we have to pay for doctors and why pensioners have to tighten their belt etc.? One reason is to keep the likes of Channel 7 filthy rich.
It is a clear case of the rich get richer and the poor get the picture. It is time for Channel 7 to pay their share. I have written about this before but it is even more important now given the drastic budget announcements such as working to 70 and doctor payments etc. If the likes of Channel 7 paid their dues then we might not have to cut back so much in the budget and work to 70. Last year I wrote:
2010 Election Year Media Bribe
In February 2010 the then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and the Minister for Communications Stephen Conroy announced a temporary reduction in “licence fees networks pay by 33 per cent this year and 50 per cent in 2011″.
“The issue has begun to gain traction in the electorate, as Senator Conroy has declined to discuss how his department came up with the formula that will generate at least $250m for the networks at the expense of taxpayers, and amid ongoing revelations about his private meetings with Seven Network executive chairman Kerry Stokes.” (Click here to read more)
The rich get richer and the poor get the picture
Only a month before this was announced in 2010 Stephen Conroy met Kerry Stokes at Beaver Creek Ski Resort in Colorado USA for a meeting and a few ski runs, as you do when on holidays. Also “Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is a previous recipient of Mr Stokes’s hospitality, staying in Mr Stokes’s mansion in Broome, WA, last year“. (Click here to read more)
I think that is Kerry Stokes Beaver Creek house behind Stephen Conroy. I wonder if the reduction in TV fees help pay it off.
Tony Abbott at the time called it the $250 Million election year bribe. He said “It looks like at this stage, unless the government can justify much better than it has so far . . . an election year bribe,” he said. “Maybe there is more to this, which the government hasn’t told us about, but . . . it looks like they’re buying favourable coverage.” (Click here to read more)
And “Asked if the government was ”bribing the media so they’ll be nice to the Labor Party”, Mr Abbott said: ”Absolutely right, that’s what it looks like.” (Click here to read more)
Eventually the reduction was made permanent and in 2013 the license fees were decreased by another 50%.
“The Television Licence Fees Amendment Bill 2013 halves the annual license fee for commercial TV networks, making it a maximum of 4.5 per cent of gross earnings.”
“It passed the lower house unanimously.” (Click here to read more)
So the real reduction (money taken from tax payers) is probably valued at around $400 to $500 million. I know some educated guesses have it at $600 to $700 million.
I wrote at the time:
“It is not just Kerry Stokes who benefits from the reduction in licence fees, Channel 10 and Channel 9 do as well. But the reduction seems to have been driven by Mr Stokes in 2010 at least and most likely again now. If the government are trying to buy better election coverage, Mr Stokes and Channel 7 would be the target as they are unlikely to get better election coverage from Channel 10 with Gina Rinehart on the board. Ms Rinehart is well-known to dislike the Labor Government and apparently helped Andrew Bolt get his own show on Channel 10 which seems to spend most of its time attacking the Labor Government. Channel Nine did the infamous Mark Latham report on Sixty Minutes before the 2010 election which embarrassed the Prime Minister Julia Gillard, so one can hardly say they took a bribe then, although they now have new owners who might be swayed.” (Click here to read more)
Channel 7 and the AWU fraud cover-up
A prime example of Channel 7 taking a bribe for better coverage for the Labor Party is the AWU fraud which Channel 7 has been extremely quiet on overall. In fact Channel 7 used its current affair program to attack Ralph Blewitt who is one of the key witnesses against Julia Gillard. That would be ok if they had also reported in a balanced way the evidence against Julia Gillard but they did no do that. It was almost like they were on the Labor Party payroll which given the reduction in TV fees they were on Labor’s payroll. Or as Abbott said they had taken “an election year bribe”. Channel 7 in effect tried to help the Labor Party cover-up the AWU fraud.
It is time for Channel 7 to pay their share
Channel 10 is almost bankrupt and Channel 9 are newly listed on the stock market and I do not know if they make a profit. But I believe Channel 7 do make a profit and could and should pay their share of taxes.
Everyone knows that large foreign companies pay very little tax in Australia and the government are planning on doing something in the near future to rectify it. Prime Minister Tony Abbott was reported on Wednesday while in the US as saying:
“Prime Minister Tony Abbott has given the US notice that he is serious about leading global efforts through the Group of 20 to stop tax evasion through profit shifting by multinationals, which would include some of America’s biggest companies.”
“Mr Abbott said international tax rules should be structured to capture income where it is generated – an indirect swipe at Apple, Google and other big companies that license intellectual property to their own subsidiaries to enable them to shift profits to countries with lower taxes.” (Click here to read more)
Here we are whingeing about foreign companies not paying their fare share of taxes yet the government turns a blind eye to Australian companies such as Channel 7 not paying their fare share. The television fees are a tax and should be increased to where they were previously and then some to make up for the billions of dollars that tax payers have lost since 2010.
I personally do not want to work to 70 just so I can help filthy rich people stay filthy rich. This is an issue that needs driving and I will be doing that.
Admin: The contempt proceedings instituted by Kerry Stokes and his girlfriend lawyer Justine Munsie against me has been set down for hearing on the 15th of July 2014. What for? I told people Mr Stokes was suing me for defamation when Mr Stokes had a suppression order so I could not tell people. Mr Stokes obviously believes journalism is a crime. If you would like to help please read below and donate.
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Categories: Channel 10, Channel 7, Channel 9, Kerry Stokes, Senator Stephen Conroy
Channel 7 sure has been quiet and very selective in its reporting of the AWU scandal. I mostly watch their news and find a small snippet of reporting about the proceedings sometimes buried close to the sports report, rather than where it should rightfully be.
The media in general has a lot to answer for in this country with its subservient attitude to its wealthy masters and the “games” they play.
Shane, good luck with your continuing case against Stokes, for all the right reasons!
This all is truly such a disgrace ,but time is running out for them people all over the world are exposing their Governments and Media for what they are and that is Criminals and Fraudsters ,many Towns in Australia including mine have Public meetings coming up ,we have good on our side and the real truth is coming out fast thanks to many including this site.
Of course it is obvious, that if one gives such sums of money to a company such as a television station, that one receives coverage to their advantage, we were sure taken to the cleaners by that lot!
The deal must still be in place as there has hardly been any coverage on the Royal Commission anywhere..
Channel 7’s behavior in accepting the previous labor government television bribe is absolutely disgusting. It really shows what a corrupted person Kerry Stokes is. I have noticed that Channel 7 has not reported on the AWU fraud at all over the last 2 years, and that have tried to discredit the story by getting their chief political reporter Mark Riley (A suspected labor supporter) to interview Ralph Blewitt’s sister to condemn Ralph Blewitt. That is one of many examples that the 7 network have done to give favorable corrupted labor party coverage, ignoring the many labor party disasters that were made in their 6 years of government. This is theft against the Australian taxpayer and Kerry Stokes is a criminal who must go to jail. Good luck Shane, take Kerry Stokes to the cleaners Shane.
Goodness, what a mess – is there any commercial TV channel in Australia that is not corrupt?
Stokes is sueing you for telling us that stokes was sueing you. Talk about “clutching at straws” Stokes needs to be told ‘things have changed a bit in this world’. Go hard Shane as you do anyway, and bring this corrupt fool down!
Stokes choking on his caviare with this relentless campaign by you…. I guess no Christmas card for you Shane lol….. this is now on FB and Twitter…
The corruption of many parts of Australian media coverage (through ommision) during the Rudd/Gillard era has to rival the propaganda that Russia effuses against Ukraine. Mainstream voters need to be reminded how they have been manipulated last 6 years…but not me!
Obviously corruption occurs wherever money and influence is involved. However, it must be accepted that Australia is little different from other like countries who accept corruption as a way of doing businesses e.g. Indonesia. In politics it’s called “pragmatism”. It’s all really sickening. My problem is that our fragile system called of democracy is now wide open to left wing (communist) manipulation by the Labor Party and the Fairfax/ABC influence.
I think Shane and others here may have judged Kerry Stokes a little too harsh… after all, it is his news networks which regularly bring us the information on the latest hi tech, cutting edge wonder-bra technology. This is vital information, essential to our high standard of living and upholding our democracy and civil rights. He is absolutely right in relegating a former prime minister’s involvement in the AWU fraud, massive and questionable cuts to license fees and other trivial matters to insignificant stories which do not even rate a mention.
But now on a serious note, KCOA is the kind of journalism that is lacking in Australia (and, in fact, the world). Very few journalists can really be called journalists considering the lame stuff they are forced by their bosses to repeat. When the bigger players/criminals (big business, media, politicians, judges) want to silence a REAL journalist then you know that journalist is onto the truth, something that they desperately want to hide from you.
Dear Concerned Aussie, corruption by media reps, owners and journos, cannot be treated so lightly. It has cost our country a generation of prosperity whilst keeping two dreadful Labour Prime Ministers in the public trough for the rest of their lives….
Nothing New our mass media is all corrupt and has been shaping the thinking of Australians for decades. Most Australians won’t believe anything if it is not featured on the main media.
How true RonaldR. If anyone has five minutes, or less to spare, check the Canberra Times content on any day of the week. Particularly the letters pages. Canberra is a Labor town full of people who think only Labor can look after the interest of public servants. This really is absolute rubbish, as no political party can claim support of the public service, without lying, because it is not in their collective national interest to do so. Never the less, Canberra has a left wing Labor government, kept in office by one Green member, and supported by the local press (Fairfax Canberra Times).
Reblogged this on Kerry Stokes.