Australian Liberal's Turnbull Doubts Need For Media Probe

A senior figure in Australia's Liberal opposition party Friday questioned the need for an enquiry into the media and scandal-hit News Corp. (NWS) in the Pacific nation.

"We're not convinced that there's a need for a new inquiry into media ownership," Liberal Party communications spokesman Malcolm Turnbull said on Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio. Turnbull is a shadow minister in Australia National/ Liberal coalition that opposes the government of Prime Minister Julia Gillard.

Gillard said Thursday that she would discuss with lawmakers a request from key independent Green Party leader Bob Brown to probe media activities in Australia including ownership following the phone tapping scandal in the U.K. that's engulfed News Corp.'s unit there and forced the closure of its News of The World tabloid.

"That scandal, however, really speaks to a failure of management at the News of the World and perhaps another News Ltd. newspaper there" and what appears to be the failure of the police to investigate it, Turnbull said.

News Corp. owns Dow Jones & Co., publisher of this newswire and The Wall Street Journal. In Australia, the company owns the country's only broadsheet national newspaper, other tabloid titles, a stake in pay television company Foxtel and news television station Sky News.

-by Ray Brindal, Dow Jones Newswires; 612 62080902; ray.brindal@dowjones.com

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