Labor still standing firm on media reform THE federal government may consider changes to its planned media reforms after facing a barrage of criticism over the rush to get the legislation through parliament. As a joint houses select committee began a hearing on Monday into the 75 per cent audience reach rule on television broadcasters, independent, Greens and coalition MPs raised the prospect the bills will fail. But Prime Minister Julia Gillard said while Labor was willing to consider "sensible" changes to its proposed media laws, it won't engage in "cross-trading or horse-trading." "We've got the parliament committee process in train now and we will see what immediately arises from the parliamentary committees," she told reporters in Canberra. Our intention remains to pursue the legislation that is before the parliament now. A separate Senate committee hearing into Labor's package of six media bills is due to start later in the day. If the select committee backs scrapping the reach rule, the change will be included in the legislation. Labor wants the package, which includes a new public interest media advocate to oversee press and online media standards and media mergers and acquisitions, to pass by the end of Thursday's sitting. The government needs the support at least five of the seven crossbench MPs in the lower house and the Australian Greens in the Senate. Key independent and select committee member, NSW MP Rob Oakeshott, says he won't support the package as it stands. "If the voting bells went right now I'd probably be on the negative side," he told ABC television. Mr Oakeshott said the hasty inquiries process was "madness" and urged Communications Minister Stephen Conroy to engage more on the concerns of stakeholders. Opposition communications spokesman Malcolm Turnbull said the government was rushing the process. "We've got committees scrambling to get organised, media executives rushing down to Canberra, all in a vain exercise on the part of Stephen Conroy," he told reporters. Media executives appearing before the select committee warned scrapping the 75 per cent reach rule would hurt regional television. "It would be the end of regional television, to be perfectly honest, because there would be no differentiation between what comes out of Sydney and what is aired in Victoria," WIN chief executive Andrew Lancaster said. New Ten Network chief Hamish McLennan lashed out at the proposal. "I think if this reach rule is pulled away and rammed through government, my issue is that I believe there will be less diversity and I think that has massive implications on regional Australia," he said. But Prime Media boss Ian Audsley backed the abolition of the rule, telling the committee it wouldn't impact on his company's provision of regional news.