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Among the ten female ministers in the new Albanese cabinet is Federal Member for Greenway and now the Minister for Communications, Michelle Rowland.
Before this appointment, Rowland served as the Shadow Minister for Communications in 2016.
Let’s walk down the lane of Rowland’s journey to becoming the Minister for Communications and what we should expect from her office in the future.
The telecom lawyer from NSW
Rowland grew up in Seven Hills and went to school in Lalor Park. She started her first job as a checkout operator in a local supermarket when she was 15, which helped her pay her way through university and taught her the value of hard work.
Rowland went to the University of Sydney to study law, where she met her now-husband, Michael, who was also a law student then.
Michelle went on to become a lawyer specialising in telecommunications. She earned her Masters in Law at the same university.
Rowland and Michael have each had professional success, but their children, Octavia and Aurelia, are their finest achievements, according to them.
Having lived in North-West Sydney all her life, Rowland says she knows the challenges people in her community face daily. She feels a duty to serve and give back to the community that gave her so much.
Rowland’s entry into politics
Rowland has witnessed acts of injustice since she was a child, which has constantly upset her. As a teenager, she became interested in politics and was motivated to get active by a strong belief in social justice.
From 2000 to 2010, Rowland has served as a Councilor and Deputy Mayor of Blacktown City Council, Chair of Screen NSW, and the Western Sydney Area Health Service Director.
In 2010, Rowland was elected to the House of Representatives as the Member for Greenway. According to Rowland, two issues have always dominated her conversations in the community since then: health and education.
Rowland said in an interview with the Hills District Mums, “We have to have a health system that supports everyone, whether it’s young mothers and their babies, sick kids, or elderly family members. I have always been driven to ensure that everyone will have strong healthcare available when they need it.”
“For our kids, a bright future starts with the best education possible. I am passionate about delivering better schools and education services for our area, from preschool to school and higher education,” she added.
After 11 years since she was first elected as the member for her electorate, Rowland’s passion for affording everyone in Greenway – regardless of their background – equal opportunities to succeed remains the same.
Rowland focuses on supporting the community through the pandemic and working towards a plan for their future – creating more reliable jobs, protecting Medicare, and investing in better services and infrastructure.
She says, “After all, as parents, there is nothing we want more than to provide our children with more opportunities and support than what we had. That’s why I will always fight for the people of Greenway and their aspirations.”
Rowland was named Shadow Minister for Citizenship and Multiculturalism and Shadow Assistant Minister for Communications in 2013.
Rowland then became the Shadow Minister for Small Business and Shadow Minister for Citizenship and Multiculturalism in the Shadow Cabinet in October 2015.
When asked what she considers her most significant achievements as a Federal Member for Greenway in the same interview, Rowland said that providing funding to Blacktown City Council’s life-saving defibrillators is an accomplishment she is proud of.
Rowland said, “Having these defibrillators located at our local sporting grounds is an important victory for our area.”
She said she is also proud of her role in a long-running community push to build a multi-story commuter car park at Schofields Station (now built) and obtain funds for parking facilities at Quakers Hill Train Station.
Rowland lands in the Ministry of Communications
Following the 2016 Federal Election, Rowland was appointed Shadow Minister for Communications. In 2019, she was re-elected and re-appointed as the Shadow Minister for Communications.
As the Shadow Minister for Communications, Rowland stood up against the budget cuts on ABC related to the alleged political interference by the Morrison government.
Rowland said that the Liberal-National government was “taking” from all Australians by cutting ABC funding.
The Minister said, “Cutting the national broadcaster is reckless and irresponsible.”
Rowland also defended the funding for Vision Australia Radio, which according to her, is relied upon by people in the community who are blind, have low vision or have a print disability, whether through age, a health condition, or lack of literacy skills.
Likewise, Rowland called out the Liberal-National government on the removal of access to the CapTel handset, which helps senior Australians who are deaf, hearing impaired, or speech impaired to make and receive telephone calls from the National Relay Service.
Rowland claimed that this would require NRS users to stop using CapTel and migrate to an alternative service.
Another thing that Rowland has tirelessly fought for is the improvement of mobile coverage and NBN speeds.
Rowland has successfully led multiple campaigns on behalf of communities across the nation in this regard.
Onto a united and connected Australia
As the new Minister for communications who waved the banner of “A Better Future For All” during her campaign, Rowland aims to unite the cities and regions of Australia by supporting the nation’s media industry.
“I am dedicated to ensuring Australians, in our cities and regions, are united and connected,” Rowland said in a social media post.
“This portfolio has the potential to further enable an Australia where connectivity & content enriches our quality of life, informs us, drives productivity, and empowers us to fulfil our potential,” Rowland added.
Rowland is also a staunch critic of today’s social media platforms’ measures in fighting the spread of misinformation and disinformation.
In the past, Rowland urged the previous Coalition government to establish regulations on investigating or requiring online platforms to unveil their process of managing misinformation and disinformation.
The push came with her accusation of the Morrison government waiting years to start scoping out powers for the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) to address misinformation.
She told The Sydney Morning Herald, “The regulator doesn’t have the power to investigate or compel information from digital platforms about how they manage misinformation and disinformation in Australia, so there is an important role for regulation in this area.”
Former Communications Minister Paul Fletcher announced plans to introduce legislation giving the ACMA the authority to penalize digital businesses that fail to fulfill the voluntary code’s criteria.
However, the new minister hasn’t stated if she’ll give the ACMA these information-gathering powers, which would allow it to legally demand data on complaint handling, pressing issues, and engagement with harmful content from tech platforms.
Support for community broadcasting
On the other hand, Rowland and the Labor Party have committed to supporting community broadcasting which she has always shown before.
Upon the Labor’s election, Rowland, who was the Shadow Minister for Communications then, has announced the $29m regional, local, and community media package dedicated to ensuring communities continue to get the local and independent news they need.
Rowland followed up on the pledge of support to community broadcasting with a visit to Braidwood FM, a community radio station in Braidwood NSW, for one of her first outings.
During the devastating bushfires of 2019-2020, the station’s volunteer team broadcast 24 hours daily to keep the people safe.
Rowland said, “When the 2020 bushfires blazed through the regions, community radio was a constant. Through the early hours of the morning and into the night, Braidwood FM was a conduit for crucial, urgent, local information.”
“It broadcast the movements of the fire and helped the community stay safe during this devastating time. It’s more than a community broadcaster – during the bushfires, Braidwood FM was a lifeline.”
Braidwood FM’s Station Manager Gordon Waters said that the small community station run entirely by volunteers was thrilled that the Minister made the time to visit their station.
Gordon said, “It’s the people of community radio that keeps it going and it meant a lot to all of us to know that not only did the Minister know we existed, but actually came and saw our studio.”
The Community Broadcasting Association of Australia (CBAA) was also pleased with the said visit.
CBAA’s CEO Jon Bisset commented, “We are very pleased that the Minister took the time to visit Braidwood FM. It shows Labor recognises the vital role community radio plays in supporting vibrant Australian communities.”
What do you think? Is Australia’s communications portfolio poised for a better future under Rowland?
Jaw de Guzman is the content producer for Comms Room, a knowledge platform and website aimed at assisting the communications industry and its professionals.
