The debate on the bill to repeal the Media Industry Development Act 2010 is currently underway in parliament.

Attorney General Siromi Turaga says the Act does not and has not served any practical purpose other than to unnecessary limit the media organization in its operation.

Turaga says the Act established the existence of the Media Industry Development Authority, and its existence has been in name only.

He adds that the authority does not have any staff and is not performing its functions as mandated by the Act.

The Attorney General says this was also stated by the Multinational Observer Group in its report, where it observed that the Fijian Elections Office had taken over some roles it had shared with the MIDA Authority, such as media accreditation.

He adds that the Authority also failed to provide an annual report as required under Section 15 of the Act.

Turaga says Fiji was ranked 57 out of 180 countries for press freedom in 2018 and fell to 102 last year.

According to Reporters Without Borders 2022 World Press Freedom Index, Fiji was placed 102 out of 180 countries, receiving an overall score of 56.91 out of 100.