Our ABC... or the Government's?

Friends of the ABC says:

• The ABC Board should comprise experts in public broadcasting, appointed for their skills and experience. The Board should be appointed through an open and transparent process at arm's length from the Communication's Minister.
• The staff-elected director position on the ABC board should be restored. Although such positions come with inherent conflicts of interest, these can be managed through good governance.
• The ABC should operate in accordance with its Charter, and the Government should not seek to interfere except to uphold the Charter
• The ABC should have a strong independent process for handling complaints.
• The Government should not seek to denigrate the ABC by making unsubstantiated public allegations of bias.

The Howard Government's record:

• Senator Richard Alston, when he was Communications Minister, vigorously pursued 68 separate complaints of bias against the ABC. Only two complaints were upheld by the ABC's independent Complaints Review Executive.
• Senator Alston claimed he was following up complaints made to his office. A Freedom of Information (FOI) request lodged by Media Watch found that he had received only 10 complaints including one from the Federal Director of the Liberal Party.
• The Howard Government has appointed several conservative idealogues to the ABC Board with little or no experience in public broadcasting, including Keith Windschuttle, Janet Albrechtson and Ron Brunton (they are not the first government to appoint their political mates - under Keating John Bannon and Rod Cameron were appointed to the ABC board).
• All three of the previously mentioned Board appointees have publicly attacked the ABC.
• The Government has also abolished the position of staff-elected director, the only appointment not controlled by the Government and at the time the only board member with any experience in public broadcasting.

Alternative policies:

• Labor has released a policy to establish an independent panel to recommend Board appointments to the Minister for Communications. The Minister still has the right, under Labor's policy, to appoint someone not recommended by the panel, but will have to explain their decision to Parliament. The Chair of the Board would be appointed by the Prime Minister with agreement from the Leader of the Opposition. Labor will re-instate the position of staff-elected director. Labor has no policy on changing the complaints process.
• The Australian Greens' policy is for all ABC Board appointments to be approved by Parliament. They support having two staff directors elected by proportional vote. The Chair of the ABC would be elected by the Board.
• Dino Ottavi's Senate Group says it is important for the ABC Board to be more independent from Government, there must be no political pressure placed on the ABC and the Board should prevent political attacks on the ABC. They will seek to uphold the Charter of the ABC.

Any parties or candidates who wish to have their policies featured here, please email us.

Authorised by Melissa Sharpe, 821 Huon Road, Fern Tree, Tasmania, 7054.