David Moase in The Daily Examiner, 1 February 2014, Page 10:
The witch hunt begins
If Prime Minister Tony Abbott thinks he's going to scare the ABC by accusing it of acting against the national interest and starting an efficiency inquiry, he should choose another target.
'Aunty' is more than accustomed to raising the ire of governments and has probably grown a rhino-thick hide over the years.
It should happily front up for the inquiry, lay its cards on the table and stand by its proud record established over many years. After all, the last inquiry into how the ABC spends its money found it was under-resourced.
Surely a government in just its fifth month has more important tasks to confront than launching what appears to be little more than a witch hunt.
Exactly what prompted this week's attacks in the media is unclear, although there are plenty of possible motivations.
To me it seems revenge on a number of fronts, particularly for the former Labor government's decision to renege on a deal for Sky News to broadcast into Asia and to return the rights to the ABC.
At the time that decision seemed like Labor payback to Rupert Murdoch for some of his newspapers' political coverage, and now that scenario looks like it is being played out in reverse. It would not come as any surprise to see the ABC lose its Asia deal at the end of this process.
Surely an experienced politician like Mr Abbott understands the government often dislikes what the ABC broadcasts, just as sometimes those broadcasts will make it pleased.
The ABC's role is to broadcast for the people of Australia - not for the government.
No comments:
Post a Comment