Freed of the constraints of libel or consequences for his political future, former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull let rip on Rupert Murdoch in today’s Senate media diversity hearing.

Speaking under parliamentary privilege, he said Australia would end up “where the US did, at January 6” if the media baron’s power went unchchecked.

The sacking of the Capitol, “underlines divisions in America fomented and promoted by right wing media”, he said, naming Fox News as the leader.

Having spent most of his working life involved with the media – and having known Rupert Murdoch since about 1976 – Turnbull noted the change which had taken place from “mainstream media (which) had generally sought to be in the mainstream” to today when people “can now effectively live in a news silo where their views are echoed and confirmed”.

In Australia, NewsCorp had “evolved to be like a political party with one member” aggressively using its power. “You politicians know how that power is wielded,” he told senators.

One first-hand example was the “ferocious” campaign against Turnbull’s appointment to a NSW zero emissions committee role, which he says was led by News Corp’s (Sydney) Daily Telegraph, which led to his removal and state energy minister Matt Kean “having to deny that News had anything to do with it”.

Chair Sarah Hanson-Young held up facsimiles of two Telegraph front pages which asserted that the job was “not right for a NIMBY”.

In relation to the government’s news media bargaining code legislation directly affecting Facebook and Google, Turnbull said the power of the government had “been used to shake down two companies” without anyone knowing what was paid.

“News Corp is like a political party with just one – or a family of – members,” he said, later referring to “the power of the harlot – power without responsibility” which he said “has to be held to account”.

He said that through a very targeted political operation, Murdoch’s divise media was doing “exactly what Vladimir Putin wants to do” in the US, the way in which it was operated “absolutely adverse to our national interests”.

Turnbull told the committee that News was “obviously opposed to effective action on climate change, obviously very supportive of the kind of right wing agenda in the US.

“Trump was in many respects a creation of Murdoch,” he said.

He said the situation was “somewhat different” in Australia, but said News media “do not hold the Morrison government to account”, noting ABC’s 7.30 host Leigh Sales’ question to Josh Frydenberg on “what do you have to do to get sacked”.

Chair Hanson-Young echoed Turnbull’s comment that the Murdoch media were “highly political and highly partisan, yet totally unelected”. Does someone have to leave politics before he or she can speak out? “Effectively yes,” he replied, adding that he was “not a very deferential person, not very good at sucking up”.

But what to do about media diversity in Australia. Senator Carr likened the situation to “the frog who gets into the saucepan, and by the time he realises it’s too hot it’s too late”.

Turnbull said he had no regrets over the 2017 media law reforms which removed the ‘two out of three’ rule, and suggested the Nine purchase of Fairfax Media had resulted in stronger competition. “I think the problem was the decision… to allow (News’ 1987) Herald & Weekly Times purchase, a massive mistake.”

• A date for the next hearing is yet to be announced.