Thank you, Madam Chair.
I am very happy to be here today with my colleagues for the study of this bill.
As many of you know, although it bears repeating, I was also a news journalist from 1999 up until just last year, when I decided to serve my community in a different way. I worked in print newspapers like the Edmonton Journal and the Hamilton Spectator, and then later for broadcasters. Over that time, I saw first-hand the decline in journalism, not just in the number of publications and broadcasters in communities but also in the number of people in the newsrooms, going from literally hundreds down to a handful. That affected the number of people who would be at the meetings, at the courthouses or in the city halls telling the stories of the people and the things that bring a community together and make it feel like a community. Watching this first-hand, I have become very concerned about the threat to our democracy.
I was extremely interested to see Australia taking the lead and addressing what we've heard called an “imbalance”. I'm very grateful that we have the architect of that legislation here with us today.
I would like to start with you, Mr. Sims. Tell us what life is like for journalists in Australia today compared with what it was like before this legislation. We've heard a little bit about this from you and other witnesses, but really, today it's kind of tough to keep a job in journalism. I'm wondering what it's like in Australia.