1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:02,840 Speaker 1: So that's fair. Digital news marketing bill going ahead. Labour 2 00:00:02,840 --> 00:00:04,720 Speaker 1: came up with it, of course, meltily missed it up 3 00:00:04,840 --> 00:00:07,040 Speaker 1: or Goldsmith. You get the sense has been drag kicking 4 00:00:07,040 --> 00:00:08,720 Speaker 1: and screaming to the line. But there are a couple 5 00:00:08,720 --> 00:00:10,559 Speaker 1: of changes, not least of which is a minister's now 6 00:00:10,600 --> 00:00:13,320 Speaker 1: involved in final calls and we have the second degree 7 00:00:13,360 --> 00:00:16,319 Speaker 1: to disagree trigger pulled in the coalition this time by act. 8 00:00:16,360 --> 00:00:18,239 Speaker 1: David Seymour was with us. Very good morning to you 9 00:00:19,160 --> 00:00:21,120 Speaker 1: wedding make Was this a die in the ditch thing 10 00:00:21,200 --> 00:00:23,400 Speaker 1: for you or are we going to do you think 11 00:00:23,640 --> 00:00:26,680 Speaker 1: see a bunch of agree to disagrees before the next election. 12 00:00:27,960 --> 00:00:30,600 Speaker 2: Well, the nature of the government is a coalition. There's 13 00:00:30,760 --> 00:00:34,440 Speaker 2: three different parties. People voted for them for different reasons, 14 00:00:34,440 --> 00:00:37,600 Speaker 2: and the people that voted for us want to see 15 00:00:37,640 --> 00:00:40,839 Speaker 2: us stand up and present them with their values. I 16 00:00:40,880 --> 00:00:44,480 Speaker 2: don't think meaning if any people who voted at want 17 00:00:44,600 --> 00:00:48,120 Speaker 2: to see a policy that is based on the Labor 18 00:00:48,159 --> 00:00:51,839 Speaker 2: Party theory of economics. There's a company with some money, 19 00:00:52,280 --> 00:00:54,880 Speaker 2: let's take it off them and give it to someone 20 00:00:54,920 --> 00:00:57,200 Speaker 2: else that might support us, which is all that says. 21 00:00:58,000 --> 00:01:01,240 Speaker 2: It's not going to solve the underlying and quite serious 22 00:01:01,320 --> 00:01:04,640 Speaker 2: problems with media. In fact, that we'll probably make them 23 00:01:04,680 --> 00:01:09,080 Speaker 2: worse because the one attractive thing about this whole policy 24 00:01:09,680 --> 00:01:13,840 Speaker 2: was that it deals between private companies with no politicians involved. 25 00:01:14,600 --> 00:01:18,760 Speaker 2: Now they're proposing that a politician gets involved in effectively 26 00:01:18,959 --> 00:01:22,119 Speaker 2: funding media, and it's just not acceptable. 27 00:01:22,160 --> 00:01:24,240 Speaker 1: The problem with it is that the one side of 28 00:01:24,280 --> 00:01:27,959 Speaker 1: the equation is so gargantuan and so big and so powerful. 29 00:01:28,040 --> 00:01:30,120 Speaker 1: The argument would be you need a politician to drag 30 00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:31,880 Speaker 1: them to the table otherwise they don't care. 31 00:01:33,560 --> 00:01:35,720 Speaker 2: Well, that may well be the case, but it also 32 00:01:35,840 --> 00:01:40,240 Speaker 2: tells you something about the nature of the relationship. It's 33 00:01:40,280 --> 00:01:43,880 Speaker 2: not always obvious who needs who the most, and when 34 00:01:43,920 --> 00:01:49,040 Speaker 2: it comes to digital media, whether it's The Herald Online 35 00:01:49,160 --> 00:01:54,320 Speaker 2: or stuff or whatever. They are benefiting from being able 36 00:01:54,360 --> 00:01:57,520 Speaker 2: to be found on Google, from having their stories shared 37 00:01:57,560 --> 00:02:02,040 Speaker 2: on Facebook and Instagram, and I've heard from people who 38 00:02:02,120 --> 00:02:06,080 Speaker 2: work in those companies that they're trained to help enhance 39 00:02:06,160 --> 00:02:11,280 Speaker 2: their visibility on these internet platforms so they get more readers. Now, 40 00:02:11,360 --> 00:02:13,480 Speaker 2: if you're going to try and strike a deal, it's 41 00:02:13,480 --> 00:02:18,120 Speaker 2: not actually obvious who should be paying who for what service. 42 00:02:18,760 --> 00:02:20,760 Speaker 2: But to put a politician in the middle trying to 43 00:02:20,800 --> 00:02:23,760 Speaker 2: figure that out. Well, that's the kind of policy we 44 00:02:23,840 --> 00:02:27,120 Speaker 2: expect from the Labor Party, and of course the origin 45 00:02:27,200 --> 00:02:31,400 Speaker 2: of it is a labor policy. And I just think 46 00:02:31,440 --> 00:02:34,280 Speaker 2: we're going to be honest about the problems with the 47 00:02:34,320 --> 00:02:38,240 Speaker 2: media actually relate to the product. It's never been easier 48 00:02:38,280 --> 00:02:40,799 Speaker 2: to share news. It's not like you have to pay 49 00:02:40,840 --> 00:02:43,639 Speaker 2: a network of thousands of school kids to deliver papers 50 00:02:43,680 --> 00:02:47,160 Speaker 2: every morning. Anyone can start a media company. It's easy 51 00:02:47,160 --> 00:02:50,320 Speaker 2: to communicate. The issue is I don't think people want 52 00:02:50,360 --> 00:02:53,880 Speaker 2: the product. And if you start trying to subsidize by 53 00:02:53,919 --> 00:02:56,840 Speaker 2: pulling down other companies that are doing well, you're just 54 00:02:56,880 --> 00:02:59,160 Speaker 2: delaying the change that needs to happen that we need 55 00:02:59,200 --> 00:03:01,239 Speaker 2: more journalism can actually trust. 56 00:03:01,160 --> 00:03:03,960 Speaker 1: By While I got you this absentee in business down 57 00:03:04,040 --> 00:03:07,480 Speaker 1: down thirty percent on travel, you know, the flight center stuff, 58 00:03:07,840 --> 00:03:10,399 Speaker 1: I didn't think it would work as much as it has. 59 00:03:10,440 --> 00:03:12,120 Speaker 1: You've got to be pleased with thirty percent. 60 00:03:13,919 --> 00:03:16,600 Speaker 2: Well, I haven't talked to them directly, and I've only 61 00:03:16,680 --> 00:03:20,480 Speaker 2: seen what's been reported in media, But yeah, that does 62 00:03:20,520 --> 00:03:24,160 Speaker 2: sound really positive. I mean term one this year was 63 00:03:24,200 --> 00:03:27,480 Speaker 2: the best term one in five years going back to 64 00:03:27,520 --> 00:03:31,040 Speaker 2: twenty nineteen. So I think people are starting to take 65 00:03:31,080 --> 00:03:35,119 Speaker 2: attendance more seriously and obviously thrilled about that, but it's 66 00:03:35,200 --> 00:03:39,280 Speaker 2: far too early to celebrate. The truth is that, you 67 00:03:39,320 --> 00:03:41,240 Speaker 2: know that term one might be a high point in 68 00:03:41,320 --> 00:03:43,760 Speaker 2: five years, but you know, we got sixty two point 69 00:03:43,840 --> 00:03:47,720 Speaker 2: three percent of students attending regularly. Our target as a 70 00:03:47,760 --> 00:03:50,240 Speaker 2: government is eighty percent by the end of the decade. 71 00:03:50,480 --> 00:03:53,320 Speaker 2: It's a long way from sixty two percent regular attendants 72 00:03:53,320 --> 00:03:57,680 Speaker 2: to eighty So it absolutely have to continue to make 73 00:03:57,760 --> 00:04:01,320 Speaker 2: this a national project. And the more kids go to school, 74 00:04:01,320 --> 00:04:03,320 Speaker 2: the more knowledge with past to the next generation, the 75 00:04:03,360 --> 00:04:05,960 Speaker 2: brighter the future for all of us because each of 76 00:04:06,000 --> 00:04:09,440 Speaker 2: those kids are empowered to succeed in whatever the next 77 00:04:09,440 --> 00:04:10,320 Speaker 2: century throws of us. 78 00:04:10,360 --> 00:04:13,400 Speaker 1: Well sid appreciate it. David Seymore, act leader. For more 79 00:04:13,480 --> 00:04:16,559 Speaker 1: from the Mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to news talks 80 00:04:16,560 --> 00:04:19,760 Speaker 1: that'd be from six am weekdays, or follow the podcast 81 00:04:19,800 --> 00:04:20,680 Speaker 1: on iHeartRadio.