AUSTRALIA'S pay TV industry has joined the chorus of attacks on the government's media reforms, branding them unnecessary and cumbersome. Communications Minister Stephen Conroy's package of changes - which were introduced to parliament on Thursday and included a public interest test for media mergers - could potentially discourage legitimate deals, Foxtel chief executive Richard Freudenstein says. "One area that clearly does not require further restrictive regulation is media ownership and control," he told the Subscription Television Australia (ASTRA) conference on Thursday. The public interest test proposed by the government to preserve diversity of voices in the media is both cumbersome and unnecessary. Mr Freudenstein said the government was better off working harder to stop online piracy, with local law enforcement lagging behind the UK and US. He warned that the "floodgates could really open" should appropriate systems not be in place before the NBN was rolled out. His comments came as parliament started considering legislation detailing plans for a 50 per cent cut in television license fees, a new public interest media advocate to monitor industry self-regulation and the public interest test on media takeovers and mergers. The reforms have been widely attacked by major media companies, including newspaper publishers News Ltd and Fairfax, as well as broadcasters Ten and Seven. ASTRA chairman and former Victorian premier Steve Bracks said the controversial reforms would not help preserve diversity. He said the government should instead focus on policies that did not constrain the media's capacity to develop new content and services. "Attempting to impose diversity through more regulation is only likely to restrict opportunities for growth and investment in the Australian media sector," he told the conference. The market itself is an effective mechanism to regulate industry behaviour.