"You're an absolute disgrace" Coalition and One Nation senators

In a wild 2min speech, @JacquiLambie attacks One Nation & the govt ("disgusting") and defends the ABC ("our public broadcaster"). #auspol pic.twitter.com/mCBHjN8Juk

— Luke Henriques-Gomes (@lukehgomes) September 13, 2017

Independent Senator for Tasmania Jacqui Lambie on the floor of the Australian Senate, 14 September 2017.

Senate Hansard,  12 September 2017:

Senator LAMBIE (Tasmania) (13:56): The government wants One Nation support for this package so badly that it has agreed to invite a razor gang into the books of the ABC. And it wants Nick Xenophon's support for the package so badly that it has agreed not to embarrass him into being forced to vote in support of One Nation's proposal. But make no mistake, voting for this bill means voting for One Nation's deal. I know that, One Nation knows that and you can bet your last dollar that Nick Xenophon and his team know that, too. As for what the details are, we still don't know. The government won't tell us and they won't tell us. All we know is that it commits the government to review the ABC and ask if it is reducing the profitability of its commercial rivals. Guess what? The job of the ABC isn't to make money for its commercial rivals. Its job is to guarantee all Australians have access to news, programming and information that affects their lives, no matter where they live or how wealthy they are. The deal the government has made isn't designed to improve the ABC; it is designed to defund it. It's a deal to set up a rigged kangaroo court that is determined to find the ABC guilty and lay the groundwork for slashing the budget of the most trusted news source in the country—or, as I like to refer to it, the eighth great wonder of the world. That is the deal that is before us. That is the vote we are taking—to defend the ABC or to defund it. No amount of tax breaks or inquiries into tech giants can change that. As the old saying goes, if you don't know all the details of the deal, don't vote for it. If you knew all the details of the deal, you probably wouldn't vote for it anyway. A vote in favour of this package is a vote in favour of all the strings that come attached to it. The government could have opted to put the full details of the deal in the legislation, but it decided not to because it is embarrassed by what it has agreed to. And if something is so embarrassing that not even this government would be willing to put its name to it, then it says something about all those who are voting to support it. No matter what else is said, no matter who says it, there's only one thing you need to remember: if you are proud of something, you don't hide it. The deal that has been made between One Nation and the Turnbull government doesn't go ahead unless this vote passes. What we're doing by voting for this media reform package is actually voting for a dirty deal, because the government decided to link the two. We are voting for something on paper and another thing altogether in practice. We're choosing whether to defend the ABC or to defund it. I will not endorse this deal. I am willing to vote to help the commercial players by doing away with outdated media ownership regulations but I refuse to vote for a package that hurts journalism in rural and regional Australia. The bill before us is only half the deal. The other half will not be put to the vote. This is the vote—for the visible half and for the invisible other. It is the only opportunity we will have to oppose the dirty deal the government has made to let loose the razor gangs on the budget of the ABC for the crime of doing exactly what the public needs a public broadcaster to do. I won't be supporting this bill and I am disappointed that I can't. I'm disappointed that I can't support this bill, because I support what it's trying to achieve in principle. The media landscape is changing fast and— The PRESIDENT: Thank you, Senator Lambie. You are in continuation. It being 2pm, we move to question without notice.

Senator LAMBIE (Tasmania) (18:27): The media landscape is changing fast. The industry is changing and the industry's regulation needs changing too. It's ridiculous to say that the only way to defend a struggling industry is to defend the regulation that's preventing it from defending itself against new and enormous threats. But concerns around the potential loss of media diversity as a result of the changes posed are real and valid. It is important that any deal to change regulation also protects media diversity in the process. Nobody wants any one media baron to have excessive power over the political landscape, and the best way to address concerns about private media ownership is to invest in publicly owned media. The government, with courage, would put whatever it's proposing to a vote. That's not what it has agreed to. Instead, reports suggest that the government has made some sneaky handshake deal in a back room somewhere to undermine the operations of the ABC, and it has gone behind the back of the Senate to do it. I won't be supporting this bill, and I'm disappointed that I can't. I'm disappointed that I can't support this bill because I support in principle what it's trying to achieve, but I will not be a part of taking a pitchfork to the ABC.

ABC management continues to disappoint

The Turnbull Government decision to continue the former Abbott Government's white anting of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation is alienating ABC listeners in remote Australia.

What the ABC is stating…..

6 December 2016 Press Release regarding ABC Shortwave Radio Services:

The ABC will end its shortwave transmission service in the Northern Territory and to international audiences from 31 January 2017.

The move is in line with the national broadcaster’s commitment to dispense with outdated technology and to expand its digital content offerings including DAB+ digital radio, online and mobile services, together with FM services for international audiences.

The majority of ABC audiences in the Northern Territory currently access ABC services via AM and FM and all ABC radio and digital radio services are available on the VAST satellite service.

ABC International’s shortwave services currently broadcast to PNG and the Pacific. Savings realised through decommissioning this service will be reinvested in a more robust FM transmitter network and an expanded content offering for the region that will include English and in-language audio content.

Michael Mason, ABC’s Director of Radio said, “While shortwave technology has served audiences well for many decades, it is now nearly a century old and serves a very limited audience. The ABC is seeking efficiencies and will instead service this audience through modern technology”.

The ABC, working alongside SBS, is planning to extend its digital radio services in Darwin and Hobart, and to make permanent its current digital radio trial in Canberra. Extending DAB+ into the nation’s eight capital cities will ensure ABC digital radio services can reach an additional 700,000 people, increasing the overall reach of ABC digital radio to 60% of the Australian population.

ABC Radio is also investigating transmission improvements to address reception gaps in the existing five DAB+ markets. It aims to ensure a resilient DAB+ service in every capital city, with enhanced bitrates and infill where necessary.

“Extending our DAB+ offer will allow audiences in every capital city in Australia equal access to our digital radio offering, as well as representing an ongoing broadcast cost saving owing to lower transmission costs,” added Michael Mason.

ABC International’s Chief Executive Officer Lynley Marshall said the reinvestment from closing international shortwave services would maximise the ABC’s broadcast capabilities in the region.

“In considering how best to serve our Pacific regional audiences into the future we will move away from the legacy of shortwave radio distribution,” Ms Marshall said. “An ever-growing number of people in the region now have access to mobile phones with FM receivers and the ABC will redirect funds towards an extended content offering and a robust FM distribution network to better serve audiences into the future.”

Once international shortwave ceases transmission, international listeners can continue to access ABC International services via:

 ·         a web stream at: http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/listen
 ·         in-country FM transmitters, see Radio Australia’s ‘Ways to Listen’ at: 
        http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/radio/waystolisten/fiji
 ·         the Australia Plus expats app (available in both iOS and Android)
 ·         partner websites and apps such as www.tunein.com and www.vtuner.com.

Audiences can access further information via the reception advice line 1300 139  994 or via ABC Local Radio (Darwin & Alice Springs).

For more information

Louise Alley
P: +61 2 8333 2621
alley.louise@abc.net.au
(ABC Radio queries)

Nick Leys
p: +61 3 9626 1417
leys.nick@abc.net.au
(ABC International queries)

Domestic Shortwave Radio Service available until 31 January 2017:

ABC's Domestic Shortwave Service provides Local Radio (not Radio Australia).

The frequencies are:

Site	Day Frequency	Night Frequency
Roe Creek	4835kHz	4835kHz
Katherine	5025kHz	2485kHz
Tennant Creek	4910kHz	2325kHz

Roe Creek site is Alice Springs.

To receive this service you will need a shortwave radio. All three services would be received in parts of the Kimberley Region.

 What the people are saying.....

Click on image to enlarge

ABC News, 8 December 2016:

An Indigenous ranger group in the Northern Territory says the ABC's decision to end its shortwave radio service could be life threatening.

The ABC announced this week its three HF shortwave radio transmitters at Katherine, Tennant Creek and Roe Creek (Alice Springs), would be switched off on January 31, 2017.

ABC Radio will continue to broadcast on FM and AM bands, via the viewer access satellite television (VAST) service, streaming online and via the mobile phone application.

Mark Crocombe from the Thamarrurr Rangers, in the remote community of Wadeye, said the rangers spent days and sometimes weeks at a time away in the bush and out on sea patrols.

He said the group relied on the ABC's shortwave radio for weather reports and emergency information.

"Otherwise you have to call back to the base on the HF radio to ask people [there], but then you can't listen to the report yourself, you are relying on someone else's second-hand report," Mr Crocombe said.

Mr Crocombe said on previous bush trips he had received warnings of cyclones via the ABC's shortwave service, without which he would not have had any notice.

"Sure, it is expensive to keep the shortwave radio service going, but during cyclones, for the bush camps and people on boats, that is their only way of getting the weather reports," he said.

"It could be life threatening, if you are out and you don't know a cyclone is coming."

Mr Crocombe said the VAST service did not work during cloudy weather, especially during monsoons and cyclones.

"The VAST satellite dish is fixed to your house, we are working in the field, and when we are on the boats we are not in mobile phone range, so applications and VAST do not work in the bush," he said……

The national broadcaster said in a statement on Tuesday the move was in line with its "commitment to dispense with outdated technology and to expand its digital content offerings."

But the announcement was met with anger by the Northern Territory Cattleman's Association.

President Tom Stockwell, who lives on Sunday Creek Station with no access to AM or FM radio or mobile phone coverage, said the ABC's decision to focus on digital transmission ignored people in the bush.

"It affects a big area of Australia and it affects those people that are remote from other forms of communication that rely on radio network," he said.

"The ABC argument that it's a 100-year-old technology doesn't stack up. Electricity is 100-years-old — is the ABC going to get rid of electricity as well?

"Anybody who's remote and away from a satellite dish won't get local radio, won't get emergency radio, won't get emergency messages and they're going to use the money to put in another digital platform for crying out loud.

"It's just the most selfish, ridiculous decision I've ever heard," Mr Stockwell said......

Right-wing attacks on the ABC continue. This time Gerard Henderson's tilt at Media Watch & Professor Chapman backfires spectacularly

Weighed under by budget cuts and loss of an international platform the Australian Broadcasting Commission, everybody's Aunty, must wonder when Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott's flying monkeys will cease their attacks on its integrity.

Fortunately some of those who become collateral damage in the war on public broadcasting bite back publicly, as did Simon Fenton Chapman AO BA(Hons) (UNSW), PhD (USyd), FASSA, HonFFPH (UK).

Professor Chapman in Crikey on 23 February 2015:

Over the weekend and this morning, The Australian's Gerard Henderson and Simon King spent a lot of ink explaining to readers that I have "as much authority to discuss health affairs as I [Henderson] do. Namely, Zip."

Their readers needed to be told this because last week Media Watch tipped a very rancorous bucket over The Australian's reportage of a "study" from Victoria by acoustic engineer Steven Cooper that involved just three households of altogether six long-time complainants about the local wind farm. There was no control group. Here and here are critiques of the many manifest inadequacies of his report.

I was one of four people quoted by Media Watch in the program, and this got our Gerard very excited. He wrote to the program:

"Media Watch's decision to associate Professor Chapman with the words 'expert' and 'scientific' gave a clear impression that he is qualified to assess scientific research. However, Paul Barry neglected to advise Media Watch viewers that Simon Chapman had no scientific or engineering or medical qualifications. He has a BA (Hons) from the University of New South Wales and a Ph.D. from Sydney University. Dr Chapman's Ph.D. is in Sociology. In other words, Simon Chapman has no qualifications to assess the research of the acoustic engineer Steven Cooper … Media Watch misled its viewers last Monday by implying that Professor Simon Chapman is an 'expert' who is 'scientifically' qualified to assess the heath effect on humans of wind farms. The fact is that Simon Chapman has no formal qualifications in science or medicine or engineering."

This morning Simon King went one better with his discovery that ""He does not have a PhD in Medicine". In fact, I do have a PhD in medicine. Here's a list of 14 of us who graduated in 1986 with … wait for it … a "PhD in medicine", as King could have read if he'd checked my CV (line 1, page 3) or asked me.

I did my PhD in the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine (that M word again). The duffers on the Order of Australia committee also seem to know that I contribute to health and medical research. My citation reads "for distinguished service to medical research as an academic and author".

King and Henderson appear to know nothing about the nature of contemporary expertise and how nearly all complex problems in health and medicine today involve researchers from different disciplines working together. In my school in the faculty of medicine there are staff who are biostatisticians, historians, psychologists, ethicists, economists, epidemiologists, and social scientists. Only some — probably a minority — have undergraduate degrees in medicine. Henderson's primitive understanding of expertise begins and ends with the possession of an undergraduate degree…..

Steven Cooper, whose CV has no mention of any PhD or undergraduate degree in medicine, until recently referred to himself as "Dr Cooper" on his home page. I look forward to The Australian covering this…..

Read the rest of the article here.

Just how big is the ABC's slice of the federal budget pie?

Business Spectator 20 November 2014:

When members of the Abbott Government talk about a need to rein in Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) spending, they rely on graphs like the one above (which displays funding in terms of millions of dollars) in order to scare voters about current and future public broadcasting sustainability.

Here is just a small visual reminder to the Abbott Government of how little, in the grand scheme of things, ABC television, radio and digital platforms actually cost.

A relatively small 0.271% of the total federal budget according to BudgetAus:

How many Walkley Awards did the Our ABC win this year? That many!

Despite a sustained political and economic assault by the Abbott Government and a anti-public broadcasting campaign by Rupert Murdoch's media, the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) had thirty finalists in the 2014 Walkley Awards.

Twelve ABC journalists won on the night in the thirty-four award categories – some coming first in more than one category.

ABC News 5 December 2014:

The ABC's Deb Masters and Mario Christodoulou and Fairfax Media's Adele Ferguson have jointly won Australian journalism's highest award, the Gold Walkley, for a Four Corners investigation of the Commonwealth Bank….

A joint ABC News and Guardian investigation which angered Prime Minister Tony Abbott and upset relations with Indonesia was named the Scoop of the Year.

Reporters Michael Brissenden, Ewan MacAskill and Lenore Taylor were presented the award for their story revealing that Australia's spy networks were targeting Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's personal mobile phone…..

Australian Story's Belinda Hawkins took out the category for Social Equity Journalism with her story on the search by donor-conceived children for their biological fathers.

Middle East correspondent Hayden Cooper was honoured for his coverage of the Peter Greste trial, winning the Walkley for Radio News and Current Affairs reporting.

Matt Brown, Hayden Cooper, Aaron Hollett, Stuart Watt, Michael Carey and the ABC news teams won Best Coverage of a Major News Event or Issue, with their reporting on the Gaza conflict.

Matt Brown and Mark Solomons won the Walkley for TV/AV Reporting for three exclusives about Australian jihadists in Syria.

Radio National's Sarah Dingle won the Radio/Audio Documentary award for her investigation into the Salvation Army's sex abuse cover-up.

ABC News and Foreign Correspondent cameraman Wayne McAllister was honoured for his work in Thailand, the South China Sea and Ukraine.

Four Corners, ABC TV and The Australian shared the Investigative Journalism award for their reports into the treatment of children caught up in conflict in the West Bank.

7.30's Nick McKenzie, Richard Baker and Sam Clark won the TV/AV Daily Current Affairs award for their investigation of corruption, kickbacks, rackets and organised crime within the building industry and the CFMEU.

A joint ABC TV/Mint Pictures and Identity Films won the Documentary award for investigations into child abuse at a Orthodox Jewish boys' school in Melbourne.

Well done, Our ABC!

Our ABC speaks out

Present Challenges, Future Audiences

13TH OCTOBER 2014

Address by Mark Scott
University of Melbourne
Monday 13 October 2014

Last Friday night, I had the honour of hosting a ceremony as part of the ABC’s Mental As week. I am sure you’re aware of Mental As and our involvement with it, as it illustrates perfectly the role of the ABC—engaging the community in an issue of national importance, using its storytelling expertise and cross-platform prowess to explain a complex, contemporary issue. No other broadcaster in this country could even attempt such an ambitious exercise.

Public broadcasting has always aspired to inform, to educate and to entertain. I couldn’t be prouder of how we fulfilled that role last week, giving Australians a chance to talk, to seek and to give, creating a platform for a national conversation around mental health. It was the work of a digital age ABC, the most comprehensive cross-platform content and marketing initiative we have ever undertaken.

Mental As will have had an impact on millions of Australians who watched, listened and engaged online—and on the nation itself.

That has always been the ABC’s way. Part of Australian life, part of the lives of millions of Australians each week. Something that belongs to all Australians, everywhere.

Our work on Mental As coincided with campaigns around the country over the future of Lateline and other programs. The public response to Mental As and the Save Lateline petitions show yet again the degree of passion the public, the owners of the ABC have for the public broadcaster.

The ABC Board acts as trustee for the Australian people who own the ABC. The Board is independent and accountable to Parliament for the decisions it makes on how to spend the funds allocated to the public broadcaster, for decisions about how best to fulfill the Charter as set out in the ABC Act.

Why is the ABC so widely appreciated by the public in whose interests the Board acts? It’s a national asset, long loved and nurtured down through the generations. For the vast majority of Australians, it’s our most trusted source of news. It’s integral to the lives of millions, with over 70% of Australians over 18 using the ABC each week—not to mention the nation’s pre-schoolers for whom bedtime is signalled by Giggle and Hoot.

For all these reasons, when you talk about the prospects of the ABC being changed, and changed significantly, it would be negligent not to talk about the challenges the ABC is facing right now.

If you love and care for the ABC, if you support and want it to remain strong, robust and relevant within Australian life—and if you read the headlines—then you know these are uncertain times for the ABC.

In the face of this uncertainty, the ABC Board and its management team remain resolved to secure the ABC’s future in the digital age. For the ABC to be an indispensible element in the lives of millions of Australians and the life of the nation. For it, as the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, to be a place where despite all the international content freely flowing within our media streams, Australians know they will find Australian stories and a national conversation.

Convergence, technological change and new competition continue to create uncertainty everywhere in the media sector.

The ABC also contends with an additional uncertainty, dependent upon funding decisions that are still to be made—or at least revealed—by the Government.

Everyone except the cynics would be a little surprised to find the ABC facing this uncertainty.

For decades now, the ABC has been funded through a bipartisan triennial funding arrangement, where three years funding has been committed by the Government of the day. This enabled the ABC to undertake multi-year contracts and plan with some certainty, most importantly in program production areas, with a secure income stream.

That security is particularly important to the ABC in that, unlike other media organisations, we effectively have no other way of raising revenue.

We’re now in the middle of the most recent triennial funding agreement, made in May 2013. This agreement still has a year and a half to run, and it’s very rare indeed for the ABC’s budget to be cut in the middle of a triennial funding agreement.

I don’t need to remind you of the very clear, public and oft-repeated commitment made by Mr Abbott before the election, and after the election, inside Parliament and outside Parliament. He guaranteed that, in its first term of office, the Government would maintain the ABC’s budget.

These are facts that I can report—I’m not going to provide further commentary.

The reality is the ABC’s budget has already been cut this year. And more cuts are on the way.

Earlier in the year, I’d imagined that by the time I’d be speaking to you here at the University of Melbourne, we’d know the future funding position for the ABC.

Not so.

We are still not sure precisely how much will be cut. We are still not sure precisely when the cuts will become payable. And decisions around size and timing could, naturally, have a material impact on ABC audiences.

I want to pay tribute to our staff. As I have said to them, the very best thing they can do during this period of uncertainty is to do their very best work. And they’ve done it, continuing to be completely professional, dedicating themselves to bringing Australian stories and conversations to Australians everywhere regardless of the climate of uncertainty in which they’ve had to work.

Some commentators have suggested the ABC should stop grandstanding and get on with belt-tightening. The reality is the ABC has already been belt-tightening, and taken steps to deal with what amounts to a $120 million funding cut over four years.

In the May budget, the Government introduced the somewhat novel concept of a “down payment”. This “down payment” came in the form of an extraction of funds from our triennial funding settlement—a 1% cut to base funding and the termination of the Australia Network contract, which still had over 9 years to run.

ABC International has been forced to downsize and more than 80 people have left the ABC as a result—many great talents are now lost to us, over a thousand years of experience has gone out the door.

The challenge was not helped at all by the fact that compensation provided by DFAT for terminating the contract fell short—by more than $5 million—of the actual costs of termination.

We have also taken steps to deal with the first tranche of the $40 million base funding cut. No one’s procrastinating.

Now, “down payments” normally provide some notion of rights for the payee about when and how the final payment will be made.

But not so in this case.

The final strategy for dealing with the funding cuts will have to be determined by the Board and Executive once the size of the cut and the repayment timing is known. Obviously both will have a significant effect on the decisions that must be made.

And since rumour loves a vacuum, while we’ve been waiting for the Government to reveal just how much more they want back from the ABC, some of the ABC’s critics have taken this opportunity to step up and offer us helpful guidance on where cuts must be made, while ABC supporters have been telling us where they must not be made.

We’re hopeful that this will, finally, be resolved soon.

In the meantime, we continue to develop a range of options to deal with what we do know, and contingency plans to deal with what we don’t.

And while I’m not able to deal with specifics tonight, I do want show you how we’re thinking through the considerable challenge.

Let’s begin with efficiency.

Read the rest here.

The 73 million reasons why the Abbott Government is intent on crushing public broadcasting in Australia

American media mogul Rupert Murdoch and News Corp made no secret of the fact that they supported the Liberal-National Coalition gaining federal government and backed Tony Abbott's bid for prime ministership in the September 2013 Australian federal election.

This support was enthusiastically and sometimes crudely expressed:

www.reddit.com

In his turn Tony Abbott has kept his close links with News Corp since he became prime minister: for example attempting to change the racial discrimination act after a News Corp journalist was found to have breached this act; briefing Rupert Murdoch personally before informing his cabinet of a major policy initiative; attending The Daily Telegraph post-budget party; and  informing The Daily Telegraph before his parliamentary colleagues of changes to data retention policy.

In the Abbott Government's first budget this 'alliance' with Rupert Murdoch continued – funding cuts and loss of a media platform befell public broadcasting which co-incidentally happens to be a major player on the Australian media scene:

The full extent of the ABC threat to News Corp isn't clear until you closely examine their competing activities.

First there's television, and the years-long saga of the ABC's Asia Pacific service, a national vanity project costing tens of millions a year, which the Howard government begged Jonathan Shier to take on in 2001. After the ABC began producing a reasonable, if low-cost, service, News coveted it for Sky News (of which News Corp has an interest via its holding in one-third owner BSkyB) to improve its international clout at taxpayer expense and tried twice, in 2005 and 2010, to win it, getting knocked back both times, although for very different reasons the second time around.

Then there's ABC News 24, a direct rival to Sky News itself and to News Corp's half-owned Foxtel, which carries Sky News. News 24 reaches about 14% of metropolitan audiences a week, far ahead of Sky News.

And free-to-air: Lachlan Murdoch's Ten Network has been regularly losing its third spot in the evening television ratings to the ABC. The ABC pointed out yesterday that it had lifted its prime-time share to a 14.6 share, up 1 percentage point from 2012 and the best performance of any free-to-air network this year. Ten's share fell and in fact spent all of 2013 behind the ABC, consigning it to fourth in metro markets, while its regional performance was even worse. ABC management has simply outclassed Lachlan's conga line of executives. The former head of ABC TV, Kim Dalton, was behind the suite of programs that enabled the ABC to have programs that viewers wanted to watch when Ten imploded in August of 2012, and continued to slide this year. Lachlan Murdoch has removed two CEOs and is now on his third in three years. Ten's problems are as much his problems as those of the poor decision making by former management.

Lachlan Murdoch also slashed and burnt the previous Ten management's carefully developed news and current affairs presence, at a time when the ABC was strengthening its position as the most trusted source of news for Australians across radio and television, far ahead of commercial broadcasters and newspapers — with News Corp's increasingly biased mastheads bringing up the rear as Australia's least-trusted newspapers.

"Plainly there are good leaks involving government secrets, which embarrass the ALP, and bad leaks, which make life difficult for the Coalition."

The ABC's online iView service is also a threat. It's now the most popular TV replay source online, and it competes directly, and for free, with Foxtel.

ABC Radio also competes directly with Lachlan's DMG radio stations in each state capital; Nova FM only beats the ABC's metropolitan local stations in Brisbane and Perth. And ABC Radio is planning a development that will not be greeted warmly by News or Ten or DMG Australia. Fairfax won't be happy either. In an email to staff two weeks ago, ABC Radio head Kate Dundas revealed that, among a long list of changes and new ideas, were state-based online news editions planned for 2014, a new e-mag for Radio National, a huge revamp of the Triple J Dig multiplatform, and a second online music stream for Classic FM.

Probably the most important will be the first version of the ABC audio player — the audio equivalent of iView. Podcasts for programs such as Conversations (which attracts hundreds of thousands of listeners a month) and RN programs will move to this new player site. ABC Radio Multiplatform also has a lot planned for 2014, with mobile versions of key sites like ABC Rural, Dig Music and ABC Local news sites.

The suspicion arises that Tony Abbott will increase pressure on the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) whilst he has the power to do so. 

Given that on 20 August 2014 Crikey.com.au revealed a further motive for this pressure - the parlous state of News Corp in Australia:

Combined with the sharp earnings drop already reported in 2013-14, and with circulation and advertising revenues continuing to decline, the accounts suggest News Corp's Australian newspapers, including the national, metro and regional publications, will struggle to break even this financial year.

The confidential operating accounts for News Corp Australia have never been seen by investors and provide a detailed picture of a print business in rapid decline, with swingeing cost-cuts, cover price increases, new digital subscriptions and digital advertising failing to make up for the loss of revenues from advertising and circulation……

The accounts were produced last year just as Murdoch spun off his troubled print media assets worldwide from the profitable Fox film and cable television empire in the United States, in the wake of the UK phone-hacking scandal.

News Corp was spun out on June 28, 2013, from the renamed 21st Century Fox, and houses mastheads including The Wall Street Journal and New York Post in the US, the Times and Sun in the UK, News' Australian newspapers, plus book publisher Harper Collins, Foxtel and Fox Sports in Australia, and a 62% stake in ASX-listed REA Group, which operates the successful realestate.com.au website

Listed on the NASDAQ and the ASX, News Corporation, valued at $11 billion, goes to considerable lengths to avoid breaking revenue or earnings down by country or masthead, lumping its worldwide newspaper operations plus other businesses together into the "news and information" segment, which accounts for 71% of the group's total revenue, and only offering finer detail selectively.

Crikey can reveal that, amid a forest of negative brackets, revenue from News Corp's Australian newspapers fell 14% to $1.9 billion in 2012-13, with circulation revenue dropping 5% and advertising revenue falling 18%, while operating income fell 67% to $94 million.

Within the division, The Australian stands out as the worst performer: revenues dropped 20% from $135 million to 108 million in 2012-13, while operating income fell 41% from a loss of $19 million to a loss of $27 million. After depreciation, the masthead's operating loss fell to $30 million.

The profit drop in newspapers was only partly offset by growth in other operations like REA Group and Fox Sports, with total operating income falling 38% to $221 million. After income from investments including Foxtel, the group recorded a total profit before interest or tax of $367 million, down 28%.....

the heavy falls in print have continued if not accelerated through 2013-14. This is confirmed in News Corp's most recent quarterly earnings update and annual report, showing the Australian newspapers are dragging on recovering newspaper operations in the US and UK, as well as divisions reporting profit growth, such as book publishing.

News reported that earnings before interest tax depreciation and amortisation from Australian newspapers fell by US $67 million in 2013-14, or $73 million — which by Crikey's estimate represents roughly an 80% fall on the previous year, nearly wiping out the division's entire operating income. The division dragged heavily on the news and information segment, which reported a 16% drop in EBITDA in 2013-14.

The operating accounts show Melbourne's Herald Sun was the mainstay of News Corp in Australia, with the weekday paper generating revenues of $250 million in 2012-13, down 13.5% on the year before, and operating income of $35 million, down 41%. Revenue for the Sunday edition fell 17% to $75 million, while operating income fell 31% to $21 million.

Of the major tabloids the weekday edition of News' monopoly masthead in Brisbane, The Courier-Mail, suffered the steepest falls, with revenue dropping 18% to $158 million while operating income fell 68% to just $17 million. The Sunday Mail revenues fell 15% to $71 million and operating income fell 33% to $20 million.

The weekday edition of Sydney's Daily Telegraph was another weak performer, with the lowest profit margins at 5%, with revenue dropping 14% to $160 million while operating income fell 65% to just $8 million. The Sunday Telegraph revenues fell 15% to $94 million and operating income fell 53% to $7 million.

At that level Adelaide's Advertiser's weekday editions alone made a much stronger contribution than the Tele in 2012-13, generating revenues of $138 million (down 15%) and operating income of $22 million (down 47%) — without counting the Sunday Mail.

The financial performance of the newspapers has only worsened. In its latest accounts News Corp revealed that overall revenue from the Australian newspapers had fallen by another 18% or US $359 million in 2013-14, compared with the previous year, made up of US $314 million decline in advertising revenue and a US $45 million decline in circulation revenue. Of that, News said US $199 million — a bit over half — reflected the impact of a weaker Australian dollar versus the greenback, which pointed to an 8% decline in revenue in local currency to below $1.8 billion. [my red bolding]

Crikey.com.au 21 August 2014:

Adding the two divisions, to make the comparison easier, circulation revenue at Fairfax grew 13% to $327 million in 2012-13, and another 1% to $331 million in 2013-14. Ad revenue fell 18% in 2012-13 to $1,022 million, and another 15% to $869 million the year after. Total revenue fell 11% to $1,507 million in 2012-13, and another 12 % to $1,333 million in 2013-14. There was a moderate improvement in profitability, however, with EBITDA rising 3% to $269 million in 2012-13 and 1% to $273 million in 2013-14.

In 2012-13, Fairfax's Metro Media division recorded a 17% increase in circulation revenue to $222 million. Advertising revenue fell 21% to $634 million. Total revenue fell 12% to $996 million. In the Regional Media division, circulation revenue fell 4% to $98 million, ad revenue fell 13% to $388 million, and total revenue fell 10% to $511 million. EBITDA at the Metros fell 26% to $76 million and in Regional it fell 16% to $133 million.

In 2013-14, ignoring the restructure of Regional Media into Australian Community Media, the corresponding figures were as follows: Metro Media circulation revenue grew 9% to $228 million while ad revenue fell 14% to $460 million and total revenue fell 9% to $803 million; Community Media circulation revenue fell 7% to $103 million while ad revenue fell 16% to $409 million and total revenue fell 15% to $530 million. On the EBITDA line, the Metros reported a 41% increase to $121 million while Community Media fell 17% to $152 million.

In terms of percentage growth and/or declines, from year to year, the comparison shows Fairfax outperforming the News Corp papers on most measures, counting both revenues and earnings. [my red bolding]

Financial Review 22 August 2014:

The Blue Book showed the average cost of employees at The Australian’s print operations was $178,256. That included associated costs and actual salary, but that still seemed higher than most of the ABC journalists the paper had slammed as overpaid. By comparison, the average cost of employees for the Daily Telegraph was $141,214. The toilers at the Herald Sun made do with $131,944, $125,135 for The Courier Mail, and $90,990 for smaller titles like The Geelong Advertiser. [my red bolding]

Institute of Public Affairs accuses the Australian Broadcasting Commission of bias against coal and gas industries and calls for privatisation of public broadcasting

The somewhat notorious right-wing lobby group Institute of Public Affairs (IPA) is again accusing the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) of bias – this time bias against the coal and gas industries.

It claims that the media analysis it contracted from iSENTIA (which examined a total of 2,359 online, radio and television broadcast reports/stories on energy issues) demonstrates this.

According to IPA coal featured in 452 (19.2%), renewable energy in 790 (33.5%) and CSG in 1,117 (47.4%) of these analysed reports between 15 September 2013 and 15 March 2014.

In an occasional paper on the topic, but not in the article by its director of communications which published in The Australian on 12 August 2014, it relies on these statistics in its call for the privatisation of the ABC:

So according to IPA the ABC showed no hint of bias in 1,026 of these reports/stories (or 43.49% of the total sample), reported favourably on the industries in question in 618 instances and unfavourably in 715.

Unfortunately for anyone reading the occasional paper it does not state whether the pie charts above were in the iSENTIA study document.

IPA states that the iSENTIA relied on CARMA International methodology in undertaking the analysis. This methodology relies in large part on qualitative (therefore sometimes subjective) measurements and is more commonly used to look at the public relations performance of businesses such as Ben & Jerry's Homemade Icecream or Kyocera Mobile Phones.

Somewhat strangely for a paper which claims it utilises an exclusive study conducted by the media monitoring firm iSentia on behalf of the Institute of Public Affairs. iSentia, formerly known as Media Monitors, is Australia’s largest and most highly respected media analysis firm, the study is not cited in the bibliography.

One of Murdoch's minions attacks the ABC yet again

This was The Australian's Associate Editor (National Affairs), Chris Kenny, on 2 August 2014 telling readers that Aunty happy to ignore boat arrivals under Labor but cuts the Coalition no slack:

As the number of asylum boat ­arrivals escalated under the Gillard government there was significant self-censorship in much of the media. The national broadcaster, for instance, which has long held an almost obsessive preoccupation with the asylum-seeker issue and has a statutory duty to report matters of significance, often didn't find room in its news bulletins to tell us about boat ­arrivals.

When 14 boats arrived in the first week of May last year the relative lack of reporting on the ABC was astonishing….

I have listed all news items concerning asylum seekers that I could find which were published/broadcast by the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) and News Corp's The Australian in May 2013 – readers can decide for themselves if they believe the ABC deliberately withheld news of asylum seeker boat arrivals when compared with reporting by The Australian.

Reporting by the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) in May 2013 – as recorded by Google and ProQuest

Abbott modifying expectations on asylum seekers - Abc

www.abc.net.au/insiders/content/2012/s3752076.htm

May 5, 2013 - Abbott 'modifying expectations' on asylum seekers. Print Email. Australian Broadcasting ...

Inside Detention: 07/05/2013, Behind the News - Abc

www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s3749309.htm

May 7, 2013 - Normal News doesn't do that. If it is a really happy segment on the real news they make it really serious" - Hayley.

Flying squad wanted for unexpected boat arrivals - ABC ...

www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-06/customs...boat-arrivals/4671754

May 6, 2013 - Flying squad wanted for unexpected boat arrivals. Updated May 06, 2013 11:41:24 ... carrying asylum seekers until it arrived just outside Geraldton. (ABC News).

Flying squad wanted for unexpected boat arrivals | ABC ...

www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/2013...boat-arrivals/1126364

May 6, 2013 - Customs is calling for the creation of a flying squad to help back up small offices dealing with unexpected boat arrivals, such as the asylum seekers who landed ...

'No advantage' policy may leave asylum seekers destitute ...

www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/...asylum-seekers.../4676448

May 8, 2013 - 'No advantage' policy may leave asylum seekers destitute: mental health experts. Download audio. Broadcast: ... 

Asylum seekers recaptured after fleeing centre - ABC News ...

www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-11/asylum-seekers...after.../4683534

May 11, 2013 - Eighteen asylum seekers who escaped from a Darwin detention centre overnight ... Related Story: Asylum seekers escape from detention centre ....

Concern over aid raid to cover asylum costs - ABC News ...

www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-11/aid-organisations...in.../4683472

May 11, 2013 - Aid organisations are bracing for cuts amid concern that Australia's overseas aid budget will again be used to house and feed asylum seekers

Indonesian police intercept asylum seeker boat

Roberts, George. ABC Premium News [Sydney] 12 May 2013. 

...water police have found an asylum seeker boat harboured in Bali that was
...water police have found an asylum seeker boat harboured in Bali that was
...boat voyage that killed 90 asylum seekers last year, has been found and arrested

Can either side of politics stop the asylum boats? - Election ...

www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-13/is-stopping-the-boats.../4685444

May 13, 2013 - The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime says a number of factors may be contributing to the current increase in asylum seeker boat arrivals, including the ...

Breaking the 'business model' of people smuggling - Abc

www.abc.net.au/am/content/2013/s3757525.htm

May 13, 2013 - JAMES GLENDAY: Most asylum seekers pay people smugglers between $7,000 and $20,000 to get to Australia. And about 25,000 ... 

Asylum boat meets fiery end in Darwin

Sewart, Phoebe. ABC Premium News [Sydney] 13 May 2013. 

...An Indonesian ferry used by asylum seekers to reach waters off Darwin has been
... An Indonesian ferry used by asylum seekers to reach waters off Darwin
... It was carrying 160 asylum seekers who are now at the Wickham

Suspected asylum seekers found near NT airstrip - ABC ...

www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-14/asylum-seekers...bay.../4689222

May 14, 2013 - ... resources and they're dealing with what is essentially the worst period of illegal boat arrivals that we have ever seen in our history." ... Connect with ABC News.

Charities overwhelmed by asylum seeker pleas - ABC News ...

www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-15/charities-overwhelmed.../4692534

May 15, 2013 - Record numbers of boat arrivals have blown out the Government's asylum seeker budget by more than $3.2 billion. Since August, more than 18,000 asylum .

Asylum seeker needs overwhelm charities - 15/05/2013 - Abc

www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2013/s3760182.htm

May 15, 2013 - Weeknights on ABC1 and ABC News 24 ... LEIGH SALES, PRESENTER: Record numbers of boat arrivals have blown out the Government's asylum seeker ...

Asia-Pacific watching foreign aid in Australia's budget ... - Abc

www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-15/an-budget-foreign-aid.../4690380

May 15, 2013 - Video: Winners and losers (ABC News) · Australian budget .... The budget says that the number of asylum seeker boat arrivals will increase next year. There has ...

Parliament excises mainland from migration zone - ABC ...

www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-16/parliament-excises.../4693940

May 16, 2013 - Video: Parliament excises mainland from migration zone (ABC News) ... note graph shows the number of asylum seeker boat arrivals in Australia since 1976.

Boat arrivals by year graph - ABC News (Australian ...

www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-16/boat-arrivals-by-year.../4694210

May 16, 2013 - A Parliamentary Library background note graph shows the number of asylum seeker boat arrivals in Australia since 1976.

New Australian law will send asylum seekers to Nauru or ...

www.radioaustralia.net.au/.../radio/...asylum-seekers-to.../1132032

May 16, 2013 - The Australian Government can now send all asylum seekers who arrive by boat to offshore processing centres.

Four of six escaped asylum seekers recaptured - ABC News ...

www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-21/six-asylum-seekers.../4704448

May 21, 2013 - The Immigration Department of Immigration says four of six asylum seekers who ... Related Story: Asylum seekers recaptured after fleeing centre ....

Why are Vietnamese asylum seekers coming to Australia ...

www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2013/05/22/3764729.htm

May 22, 2013 - Vietnamese asylum seekers arriving in Australia are fleeing increased persecution in their home country, a VOICE advocate says.

Asylum seeker to be freed after ASIO overturns ruling - Abc

www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-22/asylum-seeker-to-be.../4707258

May 22, 2013 - Fifty-four asylum seekers who arrived in Australia by boat are currently the subject of adverse security assessments. Manokala ....

Asylum seekers arrive by boat in Geraldton - ABC News ...

www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-23/asylum-seekers-on...at.../4707698

May 23, 2013 - Asylum seekers arrive by boat in Geraldton ... The arrival of this boat carrying asylum seekers in WA's Geraldton harbour in April hastened the push ...

UNHCR takes Australia to task over migration zone changes ...

www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-23/unhcr-asylum-criticism/4707534

May 23, 2013 - Photo: The arrival of this boat  carrying asylum seekers in WA's Geraldton harbour in April hastened the push to change the migration zone laws. ... The laws passed last week allow the Government to send asylum seekers who ....

Spies, security and sporting odds on Parliament's return - Abc

www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2013/s3768511.htm

May 27, 2013 - Weeknights on ABC1 and ABC News 24 ... primarily aimed at covering the blowout in visa security assessments that followed the spike in irregular boat arrivals.

Coroner rules no-one contributed to asylum seeker death

ABC Premium News [Sydney] 27 May 2013. 

...to the 2011 death of an asylum seeker in a detention centre on Cape York
...contributed to the 2011 death of an asylum seeker in a detention centre on Cape
...Pakistan before Mr Hussain sought asylum in Australia. He

Whistleblower claims AFP turned Christmas Island into ... - Abc

www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2013/s3769425.htm

May 28, 2013 - Weeknights on ABC1 and ABC News 24 ... The rebellion was the culmination of months of growing tension caused by a surge in boat arrivals, overcrowding, ...

Labor MPs to consider 'no advantage' for asylum seekers

www.abc.net.au/am/content/2013/s3768622.htm

May 28, 2013 - Labor MPs will today discuss whether the Government should set out clearer information about how its no advantage policy for asylum seekers will be put in ...

Immigration Dept grilled on asylum seeker numbers - Abc

www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2013/s3769313.htm

May 28, 2013 - The Immigration Department has faced a grilling on a number of fronts today as it grapples with an increasing numbers of asylum seekers arriving by boat ...

Department of Immigration breaks down $1.5 billion cost of ...

www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-28/immigration...breaks.../4718730

May 28, 2013 - Related Story: Fears for asylum seekers after life jackets wash up on Cocos Island beach ... The Immigration Department says 231 asylum seekers have accepted taxpayer-funded repatriation packages to return to their home ....

Search continues for missing asylum seekers

Stewart, Phoebe. ABC Premium News [Sydney] 28 May 2013. 

... Note: Six Vietnamese asylum seekers who escaped from detention in Darwin
... Six Vietnamese asylum seekers who escaped from detention in Darwin remain on

Parliament tackles spying, hacking and electoral funding - Abc

www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2013/s3770440.htm

May 29, 2013 - Weeknights on ABC1 and ABC News 24 ... cent increase promised is primarily aimed at covering the blowout in security assessments for irregular boat arrivals.

Asylum seekers and the right to work - Life Matters - ABC ...

www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/.../asylum-seekers.../4718788

May 29, 2013 - So where are we at in terms of protecting asylum seekers? And how does the current no advantage system impact asylum seekers on mainland ...

25 immigration detention escapees still at large; The Immigration Department says 25 asylum seekers remain on the run after escaping from immigration or community detention this financial year.

ABC Premium News [Sydney] 29 May 2013. 

...The Immigration Department say 25 asylum seekers who have escaped from
...recently a group of Vietnamese asylum seekers escaped from detention in Darwin,

Senate hears Human Rights Commission's concerns over ...

www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-29/human-rights...over.../4721390

May 29, 2013 - She has also questioned whether the information given to asylum seekers about their legal rights when they first arrive ... Department about the Government's new enhanced screening process for asylum seekers arriving by boat. ....

Asylum seeker in rooftop protest at Broadmeadows detention centre

ABC Premium News [Sydney] 30 May 2013. 

...are negotiating with an asylum seeker who has climbed onto the roof of the
...are negotiating with an asylum seeker who has climbed onto the roof of the

Indonesian Ambassador criticises Coalition's policy of ... - Abc

www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-31/ambassador...boats/4726842

May 31, 2013 - The Coalition will push ahead with its policy to turn back asylum seekerboats despite an Indonesian government representative saying the proposal is not ...

Asylum seeker boats on Australia's horizon - The Drum ...

www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-31/koser-afghanistan.../4725706

May 31, 2013 - Asylum seeker boats on Australia's horizon ... this September, I certainly wouldn't be raising false hopes about stopping boats any time soon. ....

Indonesia ambassador and Coalition at odds on turning ...

www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-31/indonesia-ambassador.../4726714

May 31, 2013 - Indonesia ambassador and Coalition at odds on turning back boats policy. Updated May 31, 2013 19:00:00 ....

Indonesian Ambassador criticises Coalition's policy of ... - Abc

www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-31/ambassador-says.../4726842

May 31, 2013 - Related Story: Fears for asylum seekers after life jackets wash up on Cocos ... Indonesia's Ambassador to Australia Nadjib Riphat Kesoema says boats should be turned back to the countries where asylum seekers are from, ....

Reporting by The Australian newspaper in May 2013 – as recorded by Google and ProQuest

Malaria fear as 250 join queue for asylum

Wilson, Lauren. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 02 May 2013: 2. 

... THREE large asylum-seeker boats together carrying
...in which 3112 asylum-seekers sailed to Australia
...Drurey revealed one young asylum-seeker, who was formerly

Ditch the UN Refugee Convention | The Australian

www.theaustralian.com.au/national.../story-e6frgd0x-1226634223906

May 3, 2013 - And unregulated inflows of economic migrants and asylum-seekers are .....

Poor slugged for court fees as boatpeople get free ride

EXCLUSIVE. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 03 May 2013: 6. 

...has put the needs of asylum-seekers above the needs of Australian citizens
...government provides free legal advice for asylum-seekers. The cost
...ruled that offshore processing of asylum-seekers is subject to review by

No work rights for asylum-seeker families | The Australian

www.theaustralian.com.au/national.../story-fn59niix-1226636706521

by Ben Packham - May 7, 2013 - There are more than 10,000 asylum-seekers in the community on bridging visas, .....

Labor's "greatest failing" - Chris Kenny Blog | The Australian

blogs.theaustralian.news.com.au/.../theaustralian/.../labors_greatest_failin...

May 8, 2013 - Boat arrivals are reaching unprecedented levels, with more than 8,000asylum seekers arriving since the end of January when Julia Gillard announced the ..

Smugglers cram more women, kids on to boats | The ...

www.theaustralian.com.au/...boats/story-fn9hm1gu-1226637230708

May 8, 2013 - The asylum-seekers, who were passengers on four separate boats, included 34 ......

'Catastrophe of social evil' awaits as rights cut bites | The ...

www.theaustralian.com.au/...of.../story-fn9hm1gu-1226637157508

by Rick Morton - May 8, 2013 - Asylum-seekers arrive at Christmas Island yesterday, as it was announced families .....

Asylum ringleader gets six years' jail - EXCLUSIVE -

Alford, Peter. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 08 May 2013: 1. 

...year. The asylum-seekers, intercepted at Anyer, on
...the largest group of asylum-seekers to Australia over more than
...Zafar's network sent asylum-seekers with false papers through

Smugglers test limits of compassion | The Australian

www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/.../story-fn558imw-1226637914748

May 9, 2013 - Intended or not, Rudd's policy was an invitation to people-smugglers to expand their business plan and put people on boats to give Australia a try. Intellectuals ...

No sympathy from Julia Gillard for asylum-seekers in ...

www.theaustralian.com.au/...asylum-seekers.../story-fn59niix-12266383...

by Ben Packham - May 9, 2013 - The Australian revealed thousands of asylum-seekers will be left in financial limbo when the government begins processing a huge backlog of claims under its ...

Boats target Darwin to exploit loophole | The Australian

www.theaustralian.com.au/.../boats.../story-fn9hm1gu-1226637904226

May 9, 2013 - So far this year, 13 asylum boats have been intercepted near Darwin, a vast distance .....

Failing to protect our borders | The Australian

www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/...to.../story-e6frg71x-1226637906727

May 9, 2013 - THE arrival of asylum-seeker boats in Australian waters has become so commonplace it rarely figures in the news.

Smuggler Sayeed Abbas Azad wants to be sent home to ...

www.theaustralian.com.au/...to.../story-fn9hm1gu-1226637949764

May 9, 2013 - ... thought to be responsible for sending at least 40 boats to Australia since 2008 and .....

Asylum-seekers abandoned to charity for basics | The ...

www.theaustralian.com.au/.../asylum-seekers.../story-fn558imw-12266388...

May 10, 2013 - Most of the asylum-seekers who have been driven to this condition of poverty and despair will go on to become permanent members of the Australian community ...

Labor split by hard line on refugee welfare

Wilson, Lauren. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 10 May 2013: 2. 

...issue bridging visas to asylum-seekers that strip away
...scheme payments to asylum-seekers who fail their primary
...campaign run by the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre in a

Asylum-seekers stand-off in Bali port ends | The Australian

www.theaustralian.com.au/.../asylum-seekers.../story-fn59niix-1226641265...

May 13, 2013 - THE Bali port stand-off between 77 asylum-seekers and Indonesian authorities has ...

Salvos put aside funds to provide relief to hungry asylum ...

www.theaustralian.com.au/...asylum-seekers/story-fn9hm1gu-12266415...

by Rick Morton - May 14, 2013 - THE influx of asylum-seekers in desperate need of support while living in the ...

Eleven asylum-seekers make landfall in Arnhem Land | The ...

www.theaustralian.com.au/.../asylum-seekers.../story-fn59niix-1226642380...

May 14, 2013 - ELEVEN asylum-seekers have made it by boat to Arnhem Land and will be transferred ...

Fears restrictions will see creation of an underclass

Wilson, Lauren. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 14 May 2013: 5. 

...advocates have warned that asylum-seekers released into the community without
...campaign co-ordinator at the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, said thousands
...few places to ensure all asylum-seekers had access to language training

Record arrivals rate forces $4bn spike in asylum bill | The ...

www.theaustralian.com.au/...rate.../story-fnhi8df6-1226642542557

May 15, 2013 - With more than 3000 asylum-seekers arriving by boat a month and Labor's .....

I was a police informer, alleged people-smuggler Sayed ...

www.theaustralian.com.au/.../i.../story-e6frg6so-1226643269311

May 15, 2013 - Abbas is fighting his extradition to Australia, where authorities want to prosecute him on 27 charges related to people smuggling and three boats which were ...

Senate passes amendment to excise mainland from ...

www.theaustralian.com.au/...to.../story-fn9hm1gu-1226644448709

May 16, 2013 - ... the migration zone and all asylum-seekers who arrive anywhere in Australia will be

Greens slam Labor over smuggler 'small fry' focus | The ...

www.theaustralian.com.au/national.../story-fn59niix-1226645640159

by Mark Schliebs - May 18, 2013 - ... to travel on boats to Australia -- instead of the heads of the smuggling syndicates. .....

Greens want to reverse vote on asylum visa rule | The ...

www.theaustralian.com.au/...want.../story-fn9hm1gu-1226646324394

by Rick Morton - May 20, 2013 - More than 11,662 asylum-seekers are living in the community on bridging visas .....

Asylum self-harm linked to detention time | The Australian

www.theaustralian.com.au/...self.../story-fn9hm1gu-1226647806354

May 21, 2013 - THE longer asylum-seekers spend in detention centres, the higher the rates of ...

Thousands of refugee applications stalled since introduction ...

www.theaustralian.com.au/...of.../story-fn9hm1gu-1226651322528

May 27, 2013 - ASYLUM-seekers stuck in the remote detention facility on Nauru are now having their ...

Spike in unseaworthy boats as smugglers attempt to beat September poll - EXCLUSIVE -

Maley, Paul. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 27 May 2013: 1. 

...heightened fears many more asylum-seekers will be lost at sea
...to official concerns asylum-seekers are taking greater
...that were luring asylum-seekers to Australia. 

From asylum-seeker to people-smuggler | The Australian

www.theaustralian.com.au/news/.../story-e6frg6z6-1226653255546

May 30, 2013 - Iranians were among the asylum-seekers whose boat was stopped in Bali on the weekend. Picture: AP Source: AP. QASIM Ali says he was illiterate when he ...

Indonesia won't collaborate on Coalition policy of turning ...

www.theaustralian.com.au/...boats.../story-fn9hm1gu-1226654654928

May 31, 2013 - But he said asylum-seeker boats should be turned back to other countries, .....