Senate estimates heats up

Tense moment between Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young and Infrastructure secretary Jim Betts on day two of Senate estimates.

Transcript

00:00I want to go to one of the other issues you said in the first lot of questions in corporate

00:08about the long list of things that you're working on, News Media Bargaining Code and

00:14the fund for small and independent publishers. Have you got the architecture of how that

00:23fund will operate?

00:24I didn't talk about News Media Bargaining Code which is a matter for Treasury, I talked

00:28about the News Media Assistance Program which the Minister has indicated is something that

00:33she aims to bring to fruition by the end of this calendar year. I did go through a long

00:38list of different items, some of them you've accused us of going too fast, some of them

00:42you've accused us of going too slow, the only differentiating factor seems to be whether

00:46you agree with them or not Senator.

00:47I haven't asked you to be contentrial on anything, I just wish you'd get on with most things.

00:50Oh I've heard that misinformation and disinformation is being raised.

00:52I didn't say anything about that, please Mr Betz, I have not asked you any questions

00:57about that.

00:58Senator Hanson-Young?

00:59Well he just accused me of something that was not actually correct.

01:02You spent all morning accusing him of a whole range of things, I mean he's a fairer tort.

01:05And he has corrected when he thinks it's wrong. I would like that withdrawn, I have not asked

01:10you any questions about that.

01:12No, there were questions around social media age limits and the speed at which that was

01:15going. My point is simply that we are proceeding on multiple different fronts, sometimes we

01:20are accused of going too fast, sometimes going too slow. The common factor is through our

01:24minister, we are consulting, we are engaging and we are endeavouring to get the right and

01:28a sustainable policy solution.