The repercussions of the News of the World phone-hacking scandal continue to reverberate in the U.K. and Australia this week.

British Prime Minister David Cameron is experiencing renewed political troubles as it was revealed by the BBC's Robert Peston, that Andy Coulson, the PM's former Communications Director, supposedly received payment from News International whilst working for the Conservative Party. What is more, if these allegations are proved to be true, then not only David Cameron himself but his entire party could be facing some tough questions.

Not only does this mean that Mr Cameron may knowingly have employed someone in the pay of Rupert Murdoch, but if these fees are interpreted as donations in kind to the Conservative Party then the part will have broken electoral law, as any donations must be disclosed, as The Guardian outlines.

There have also been more revelations about Murdoch's reporting strategies from the southern hemisphere. As ABC News Australia revealed, journalist Ita Buttrose claimed that Murdoch told her to have someone followed whist she was Editor-in-Chief of Australian publications The Sunday Telegraph and The Daily Telegraph. A spokesman for Rupert Murdoch stated, "Mr Murdoch has never asked any journalist to do anything improper".

Although the practice of phone hacking has only so far been traced to that one publication in the UK branch of Murdoch's operations, the public desire to question the media is reaching into the Australian media mogul's homeland.

The Sydney Morning Herald has reported that approximately 60% of Australians would like to see an inquiry into media performance and regulation. Initiatives like NewsStand have been created in response to this strong wave of public sentiment and aim to widen the debate about media regulation.

The Australian Press Council has announced a proposal to expand regulatory powers to include current affairs reporting on all platforms. The Chairman of the commission, Julian Disney, stated that the proposal's goal was simply to "trigger thinking" about media regulation.

Sources: The Australian , BBC News, The Guardian , NewsStand , The Sydney Morning Herald,