Page 4180 - Week 13 - Thursday, 27 November 2014
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That is a fairly comprehensive list. She even went on to say that the mini-series Bastard Boys about the 1998 waterfront dispute was another example of the ABC’s “anti-government, pro-left agenda” as were various programs of Four Corners, Stateline and Lateline.
That is a fairly comprehensive conspiracy theory there from the good senator. Her letter went on for some nine pages, railing about “muck raking”, “bias” and a “pro-left and anti-government agenda”, and concluded with a call to be ever vigilant and with instructions about how to make a complaint to the ABC. Ironically, of course, that letter was exposed on ABC’s program Media Watch, which, as some of the Twitter comedians have come out with this week, may have to be renamed “media glance” in light of some of the budget cuts that are coming to the ABC.
But we have seen a long history in the Liberal Party of its apparent belief that the ABC is a biased institution. Peter Reith, Richard Alston and Jeff Kennett have all had goes at the ABC over time, and even at the beginning of this year we saw the Prime Minister make an extraordinary comment. He spoke out against the ABC, complaining that it takes “everyone’s side but Australia’s” and went on to say that he would expect the national broadcaster “to have some basic affection for the home team”. Presumably that is team Australia, but what an interesting comment, especially from someone concerned about apparent bias. Would that really be independent and accurate journalism to start from a policy of affection for the home team? What is the ABC supposed to be? It is not meant to be a mouthpiece for the government. It is meant to be an independent broadcaster that takes a range of views and brings them to the Australian public so that we have the opportunity to see that range of views being presented.
I think you can fairly say that the ABC program The Drum particularly puts forward a pretty broad spectrum of views, as do others right across the ABC’s spectrum. To carry on with the view that somehow the ABC have got to bat for the home team really is a disturbing perspective. With that and the Murdoch media’s dislike for the ABC, I think we can see the true agenda that is being played out here.
But the bottom line is that the ABC and the SBS are important national institutions and important contributors to Australia’s cultural life, and I condemn the cuts to these important public broadcasters. They are vital and healthy elements of our democracy here in Australia; whether it is for important political discourse or the broadcast of women’s sports, these are things that this country needs. We need them right across the country, not just in the metropolitan cities where you might have the critical mass to get independent or local newspapers, magazines and radio programs up and going, but right across the country, particularly in regional Australia. We obviously have regional areas right around this city that benefit from the value of programming that the ABC brings.
So it is disappointing to see these cuts to the ABC—cuts that are well beyond what are simply efficiency dividends. I do not think anybody doubts that all organisations need to strive for those efficiencies. Heaven knows I spend a lot of time with my own directorates, looking to make sure that we are doing things as efficiently as we can
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