Crime boss Rupert Murdoch under fire in Australia

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Crime boss Rupert Murdoch

and his extensive Australian media holdings

could face government investigation

Things are not getting any easier for News International, (the UK subsidiary of News Corporation) the criminal organization headed by Rupert Murdoch. The leader of Australia’s Green party has called on the government to investigate Rupert Murdoch’s extensive media holdings in Australia.

The Australian Green party holds the balance of power in the Australian government, Prime Minister Julia Gillard relies on the Greens to keep her minority Labor government in power.

Rupert Murdoch owns 66% of metropolitan daily newspapers in Australia

Green party leader, Senator Bob Brown, is urging an inquiry following fresh revelations in the UK over the News of the World phone-hacking scandal. The Murdoch-owned paper is accused of hacking into the phones of crime victims, celebrities, politicians and bribing police officers. Mr. Brown said the potential for similar activity in Australia should be probed.

Speaking in the Senate on Thursday, Senator Brown called on the Communications Minister ”to investigate the direct or indirect ramifications to Australia of the criminal matters affecting the United Kingdom operations of News International”.

Speaking later to Reuters news agency, Mr Brown said: “We have the most Murdoch media ownership of any country in the world with eight of the 12 metropolitan dailies owned by the Murdoch empire.

“I think that it’s just prudent to take a rain check at this stage, because the events unfolding in London are so serious, and it would be irresponsible for us not to look at the potential for similar operations to have occurred in Australia,” he said.

Rupert Murdoch was born in Australia and founded his international media empire there.