Showing posts with label Our ABC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Our ABC. Show all posts
Wednesday 20 June 2018
Majority believe that funding for all ABC services should be increased or maintained, according to Essential Research survey
In May 2018 the Turnbull Government 'slashed' the ABC's 2019-2021 funding by $84 million.
Is this another example of this federal government's tin ear?
Because the Essential Report of 19 June 2018 shows majority support for ABC funding levels to be maintained or increased:
Perhaps Turnbull and Co should stop listening to the Institute of Public Affairs and seek opinion from outside that fetid conservative hothouse and places other than Parliament Drive or News Corp headquarters.
Labels:
elections 2018,
funding,
Our ABC,
statistics
Tuesday 19 June 2018
OUR ABC: Will voters be foolish enough to believe Turnbull Government protestations of innocence?
The Liberal Party of Australia Federal Council
comprises 14 delegates from each State and the ACT - the State / Territory President,
the State / Territory Parliamentary Leader, the President of the Young Liberal
Movement, the President / Chairman of the Women’s Council and 10 other
delegates.
According to
the Liberal Party website; It is the Organisational wing’s
highest forum for debating Federal policies. Views of the Federal Council are
not binding on the Parliamentary party, but do carry considerable weight as the
stated position of the organisation on a range of policy issues.
More than 100 Liberal Party MPs, senators and party members were in Sydney on
16 June 2018 for the party’s 60th annual federal council which is
expected to be the last one before the next federal election.
Here are some of the smiling faces at the event readers
might recognise.
Twitter: A bevy of Liberal ministers: Sen. Mitch Fifield, Sen. Mathias Cormann, Julie Bishop MP & Malcolm Turnbull MP |
The Young Liberals put forward the motion “That
federal council calls for the full privatisation of the Australian Broadcasting
Corporation, except for services into regional areas that are not commercially
viable” and on a more than 2 to 1 show of hands the
council voted in favour this motion.
Fairfax media snapshot of ABC privatisation vote |
Council
delegate Mitchell Collier, federal vice president of the Young Liberals, asserted there was no economic
case to keep the broadcaster in public hands.
At the end of the motion debate Mitch Fifield reluctantly got to his feet at the urging of the Chair to
offer “comments and observations” but did not condemn the idea of privatisation or oppose the motion outright.
As the vote was on a show of hands only with no official count taken there is no record of how Fifield voted.
As the vote was on a show of hands only with no official count taken there is no record of how Fifield voted.
Four members
of the party’s federal executive voted in favour of the call for privatisation - Federal Liberal vice-presidents Karina Okotel
and Trish Worth, Young Liberal president Josh Manuatu and vice president
Mitchell Collier who moved the motion. Incoming Federal Liberal vice-president NSW member Teena
McQueen also voted for privatisation.
The federal council also voted in favour of an efficiency review
of the SBS network.
After the vote became public two Institute of Public Affairs (IPA) members made statements to the
media.
RMIT
University professor and IPA Senior Research Fellow Sinclair Davidson said privatisation of the ABC should be the “default”
Coalition policy as the Liberals were the party of small government which
supported private enterprise.
He also told Sky News that ‘Selling the ABC to Gina Rinehart would be magnificent’
He also told Sky News that ‘Selling the ABC to Gina Rinehart would be magnificent’
IPA research
fellow Chris Berg said the preferred
option would be for ownership to be transferred to ABC staff or Australian taxpayers.
The
Australian Minister for Communications and yet another IPA member, Senator Mitch Fifield, who has previously
stated that there is “merit in the proposal to privatise the ABC is
currently trying to hose down alarm in the national electorate over that federal council vote.
His claims that
the Turnbull Government supports the Australian public broadcaster and denies it has any intention of selling off the ABC.
Given past behaviour of the Abbott and Turnbull governments, the belligerence displayed towards the ABC and the stable from which
Fifield comes, I don’t believe a word of his denial.
Just as the Prime Minister's denial is not one on which I would depend.
Just as the Prime Minister's denial is not one on which I would depend.
Sunday 20 May 2018
A call to arms in support of Our ABC
The announcement in last
week’s budget that the ABC’s funding indexation will be frozen for three years from July 2019
is the latest in a series of extraordinary attacks by a government that
displays an unprecedented level of hostility to the national
broadcaster. It represents a real cut to the broadcaster’s operating costs
of $84m.
Added to the $254m cut over five years announced by
then-communications minister Malcolm Turnbull in November 2014, and a $28m cut to the enhanced newsgathering
service in the 2016 budget, this brings the money taken out of our national
broadcaster since the election of the Coalition government to over a quarter of
a billion dollars.
Contrast this with the
former Labor government’s approach. In 2009, when I worked in the office of
communications minister Stephen Conroy, the ABC was awarded the largest funding increase since its incorporation in 1983,
with $136.4m in new money to fund the creation of the ABC Kids’ channel and 90
hours of new Australian drama. Four years later, the ABC was given $89.4m to set up the newsgathering
service and enhance the digital delivery of ABC programs.
In addition to record
funding boosts, Conroy, arguably the best friend in government the ABC has ever
had, also ensured the ABC charters were amended to specifically require them to
deliver digital services; overhauled the board appointment process to put it at
arm’s length from the government of the day; and, in a move that enraged the
Murdoch empire, created legislation that specified that any international
broadcasting service funded by the government could only be delivered by the
ABC. This came after the government’s refusal to award carriage of the
Australia Network to News Corp in 2011, a decision that was regarded both at
home and internationally as common sense by everyone other than the owners of
Sky News.
All this is now under
attack. The Turnbull government seems determined not only to undo every measure
of financial and legislative support implemented by the last Labor government,
but to undermine the ABC’s operations so thoroughly that its ability to provide
the services its charter requires will likely be devastated.
The legislation passed
in early 2013 prevented the incoming Coalition government from reopening the
tender process to award the Australia Network to Sky – so they shut it down
entirely instead.
Five years later, the
Lowy Institute laments that “[o]nce a significant
player in what the British Council calls the Great Game of the Airwaves, the
ABC’s purpose-designed, multiplatform international services have suffered
near-terminal decline”.
"We must rise up against
this concerted campaign of funding cuts and attempts to limit the activities of
our national broadcasters"
As far as the board
appointment process goes, Turnbull as prime minister and his communications
minister Mitch Fifield are doing their best to ignore it: two recent appointees,
Minerals Council boss Vanessa Guthrie and Sydney Institute
Director Joseph Gersh, were not recommended for appointment
by the independent selection panel. Fifield is relying on clauses in the
legislation governing the appointment process that allow the minister to
appoint from outside the recommended list in exceptional circumstances, but has
publicly offered no reason why these candidates were more urgently required on
the ABC board than those recommended as more qualified by the selection panel.
It’s also impossible to
discover whether the minister has tabled the statement to parliament giving his
reasons for ignoring the advice of the selection panel, as required by the
legislation. If he has, perhaps those statements explain why Guthrie and Gersh
are the most qualified candidates to provide governance of our most trusted source of news.
Despite the selection
criteria set out in Conroy’s legislation, the ABC board now includes no one
other than the staff-elected director and the managing director, Michelle
Guthrie, with media experience and, despite the full board having been
appointed by this government, they seem unable to make a case to maintain the
ABC’s funding.
But the biggest danger to
the ABC is the government’s agenda to reduce its digital services, and it’s
here where the ABC – and, in this case, SBS as well – face a truly existential
threat. The so-called “competitive neutrality inquiry” into the national
broadcasters, currently underway, has ostensibly been launched to satisfy Pauline Hanson’s demands for an
inquiry into the ABC in return for her support for last year’s appalling package of media “reforms”, which will
reduce diversity and local content across the commercial broadcast media.
Don’t believe it for a
second. While Hanson’s hatred of the ABC will assist any future government
moves to neuter the broadcaster’s digital activities, this inquiry is yet
another gift to News Corp and the commercial media organisations, who have been
baying for the ABC’s blood since it arrived on the airwaves more than
three-quarters of a century ago.
The $30m of government money given, apparently with few strings
attached, to Foxtel last year was really just “compensation” for the fact that
the commercial TV operators got a windfall gain with the abolition of their broadcast licence
fees and
replacement with spectrum fees. This saves the broadcasters around $90m per
year (money which is forgone government revenue, by the way) so, of course,
Foxtel had to be similarly rewarded for … running a commercial business in a
competitive market.
Read the full article here.
North Coast Voices, 12 May 2018,"Time to show support for the ABC"
The ABC provides vital local news services, as well as things like emergency and bushfire warnings. Every time the Liberals cut the ABC’s funding they hurt local communities.— Bill Shorten (@billshortenmp) May 18, 2018
SIGN THE PETITION ⬇️https://t.co/pNIFrLik2q
Saturday 12 May 2018
Time to show support for the ABC
The situation in 2018.......
The
Guardian, 8
May 2018:
Dear
colleagues,
The
government has tonight announced it will freeze the ABC’s annual funding
indexation for three years from July 2019, which will cost the organisation
$84m. This will be compounded by the decision to cease a further $43m in
funding to support quality news and current affairs services and follows the
cumulative $254m in cuts imposed since 2014.
This
decision comes at a critical time for us. As you are all aware from our
conversations following this year’s annual public meeting, we are at a
watershed moment as a public broadcaster as we continue to strive to deliver
the high standards of programming Australian audiences expect, despite
escalating global competition and rising production costs.
Let
me be frank with you: I am very disappointed and concerned that after the
measures we have introduced in recent years to deliver better and more efficient
services, the government has now seen fit to deliver what amounts to a further
substantial budget cut. This decision will make it very difficult for the ABC
to meet its charter requirements and audience expectations.
However,
we will continue to pursue our strategy during triennial funding negotiations
with the government this year to achieve the proper levels of funding we
require to meet the expectations of not only our current audiences but those of
the next generation.
Our
priorities have and always will be to our audiences and the programming we
create for them. Our success in this is a tribute to the talent, dedication and
high-quality work of our teams right across the country and the world.
Our
public interest journalism, breaking news coverage and independent analysis are
highly valued by the community, including across regional Australia. The drama,
comedy and children’s content we deliver every hour are likewise important to
the cultural life of the country. And services like triple j, RN and ABC Local
remain crucial channels for audiences everywhere to join the national
conversation.
Unfortunately,
the government has overlooked this contribution and the trust and value more
than 80% of Australians place in us as an independent national broadcaster.
In
a statement in response I have made clear this decision
will have an impact on our audiences.
We
will continue to oppose the decision and seek every opportunity to reverse the
cuts in the coming months before they take effect.
Michelle
Guthrie
Abc.net.au, Statement, 8 May 2018:
The
Government’s decision to freeze the ABC’s indexation from July 2019 will cost
the broadcaster $84 million over three years and will be compounded by the
decision to cease a further $43 million in funding to support quality news and
current affairs services.
This
decision comes at a critical time for the ABC as it commences triennial funding
negotiations with the Government and comes on top of a cumulative $254 million
in cuts imposed since 2014.
The
ABC’s independence and its commitment to in-depth analysis and commentary has
never been more valued or trusted by Australian audiences, nor so critical to
the challenges facing the nation.
ABC
Managing Director Michelle Guthrie said the impact of the decision could not be
absorbed by efficiency measures alone, as the ABC had already achieved
significant productivity gains in response to past budget cuts.
“The
ABC is now more important than ever given the impact of overseas players in the
local media industry and the critical role the ABC plays as Australia’s most
trusted source of news, analysis and investigative journalism,” Ms Guthrie
said.
“Our
talented and dedicated content makers consistently deliver award winning public
interest journalism, regional services and critically acclaimed original
Australian programs and content.
“Stable,
adequate funding is essential if we are to continue to deliver for Australian
audiences.”
The
ABC’s long-term strategy published at an Annual Public Meeting in February 2018
outlines the broadcaster’s plan to respond to changing audience expectations,
and to remain as relevant in the future as it always has been in the past.
The
ABC will continue to negotiate its funding requirements with the Government to
ensure it can deliver on this commitment to a future which ensures the ABC
remains relevant in the digital age.
Ms
Guthrie also rejected as unnecessary the proposed efficiency review given
efficiency programs introduced by the ABC in recent years.
Time to pick up that pen and object to this funding freeze........
Prime Minister Hon. Malcolm Bligh Turnbull MP
Parliament House
Canberra, ACT 2600
PH: (02) 6277 7700
FAX: (02) 6273 4100
Online email at https://www.pm.gov.au/contact-your-pm
Deputy Prime Minister Hon. Michael McCormack MP
PO Box 6022
House of Representatives
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
House of Representatives
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
PH: 02) 6277 7520
Minister for Communications and Minister for the Arts Senator Hon. Mitch Fifield
Parliament House
Canberra, ACT 2600
PH: (02) 6277 7480
EMAIL: Minister@communications.gov.au
PH: (02) 6277 7480
EMAIL: Minister@communications.gov.au
Minister for Regional Communications Senator Hon. Bridget McKenzie
PO Box 6100
Senate
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
Senate
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
PH: (02) 6277 3200
FAX: (02) 6277 5755
Local MPs by Electorate contact details here.
Thursday 3 May 2018
ABC reprimanded for calling the most destructive politician of his generation "the most destructive politician of his generation"
It seems poor 'Aunty' ABC was caught out for telling a basic truth about former sacked Australian Prime Minister and current Liberal MP for Warringah Anthony John "Tony" Abbott.
She should have known better - that judgement is not due to be handed down by historians until the day after his earthly demise.
Until then Australian voters must politiely pretend in public they have no idea this is so.
Australian Communications and Media
Authority, media release, 1 May 2018:
A statement contained in
an ABC News report breached the impartiality provisions of
the ABC Code
of Practice (the code), the Australian Communications and Media
Authority (ACMA) has found.
The ACMA investigated a
complaint about an ABC News report, broadcast nationally on 10
October 2017, covering a climate change speech by former prime minister the
Hon. Tony Abbott, MP to the Global Warming Policy Foundation think tank.
The investigation found
the report generally demonstrated fair treatment and open-mindedness in the way
it presented Mr Abbott’s views on climate change over time.
However, a statement
made to camera by the ABC’s political editor that Mr Abbott was ‘the most
destructive politician of his generation’ was declarative and not in keeping
with the scope of the factual matters presented earlier in the report.
The ACMA considered the
statement judgemental, not in language considered as analysis and one that the
ordinary reasonable viewer would have understood as a pejorative descriptor. As
a result, the ACMA found a breach of Standard 4.1 of the code, in that the
report was not presented with due impartiality.
‘The impartiality
provisions in the ABC’s own code require it to demonstrate balance and fair
treatment when presenting news, and avoid conveying a prejudgement’ said ACMA
Chair Nerida O’Loughlin.
‘This is only the second
breach by the ABC of its impartiality rules since 2011. While this demonstrates
strong compliance with these important provisions of the code, the ABC did not
get it right on this occasion,’ Ms O’Loughlin said.
The ABC has advised the
ACMA that ABC News will incorporate the ACMA finding into its
editorial compliance training programs. The ACMA accepts this as an appropriate
action by the ABC in the circumstances.
For more information,
please contact: Emma Rossi, Media and Communications Manager (02) 9334
7719, 0434 652 063 or media@acma.gov.au
Media release 11/2018 -
1 May
Wear the reprimand with pride, Andrew
Probyn and Aunty!
UPDATE
Time for the Streisand Effect to kick in......
Labels:
ABC television,
Our ABC
Thursday 22 February 2018
So Prime Minister Turnbull has been bitiching again about the ABC's reporting
It's also disingenuous to talk about a 30 per cent rate when so few
companies pay anything like that thanks to tax legislation that allows them to
avoid paying corporate tax. Exclusive analysis released by ABC today reveals one
in five of Australia's top companies has paid zero tax for the past three years.
On that same
day the House
of Representatives Hansard recorded these mentions:
Mr THISTLETHWAITE
(Kingsford Smith) (10:12): ………All of these hardworking Australians would be
thrilled to know—very pleased to know—that the ABC has uncovered that about one in five Australian
companies pay no company tax whatsoever in this country. Yes, that's right: 380
of Australia's largest companies pay absolutely no income tax at all—a big
doughnut; a big fat zero. They include airlines, banks, financial
service companies, mining, energy, clothing, steel, and telecommunications
companies. There's even a condom manufacturer. That's rather appropriate, given
what they've just done to the Australian taxpayer in paying no tax at all
during the course of the last couple of years…..
Mr THISTLETHWAITE
(Kingsford Smith) (13:49): As mums and dads pack up the kids, send them off to
school and head off to work; as pensioners struggle to put the air-conditioner
on because of rising electricity costs; and as students face increases in their
fees because of cuts to TAFE and cuts to funding for education—these
hard-working Australians, as they head off to jobs and study today, would be
pleased to know that the ABC has uncovered that one in five Australian
companies pay absolutely no company tax in this country. That's right, 380 of Australia's
largest companies paid absolutely zero company tax over the course of the last
three years. They include airlines, energy companies, mining companies,
clothing companies, banks, insurance companies and a manufacturer of
condoms—which is highly appropriate, given the rogering that they've just given
Australian hardworking taxpayers by paying no tax. Now, given that these
companies pay no corporate tax, what is the response of the Turnbull
government? The response of the Turnbull government is to give them a tax cut.
These companies are struggling so much that we're going to give them a tax cut!
Yes, that's right: 380 of the largest companies that pay no tax will get a tax
cut, despite the fact that they're increasing taxes for Australian workers by
putting up the Medicare levy. We won't cop it. Labor will oppose these tax cuts
and we'll stand up for average, hard-working, battling Australians……
Mr TURNBULL
(Wentworth—Prime Minister) (14:03): I thank the honourable member for her
question. The government is supporting and delivering lower business taxes
because we know they will result in more investment and more jobs. Company tax
is ultimately a tax on workers. When nearly nine in 10 Australians work for
private business, surely it is obvious that it's in the national interest to
support the companies that employ the overwhelming majority of Australians.
But, instead of supporting policies that will create jobs and grow wages, the
opposition is busy peddling the myth that business does not care about the
level of tax and doesn't in fact pay tax. I'm not sure where the $68 billion of
company tax receipts came from, but, according to the Labor Party, companies
don't pay tax. The Labor Party wants to increase taxes; the government wants to
reduce them. But we do not believe that paying tax is optional. Every
Australian and every business that makes a profit in Australia must pay their
fair share of tax. You'd think that was common sense, but not for the
opposition. Like everything the opposition leader does, he calls for action one
minute and then opposes it the next. He called for action against multinational
tax avoidance and then he voted against some of the toughest anti-avoidance
laws in the world. If this isn't clear enough for the members opposite, we'd be
happy to arrange a briefing with officials from the Australian Taxation Office.
We have introduced and, no thanks to the Labor Party, passed through the
parliament some of the toughest multinational tax avoidance laws in the world.
At that briefing from the ATO, I am sure that those distinguished officials
will be able to provide a tutorial on the difference between revenue and profit
because members opposite either don't understand the difference or they're now
calling for businesses to be taxed on revenue—not profit— even if the business
makes a loss. We saw that
they were busily retweeting the article—one of the most confused and poorly
researched articles I've seen on this topic on the ABC's website. Of
course, the ABC is an enterprise that understands profit and loss.
Opposition members
interjecting—
Mr TURNBULL: It does! It
understands taxes; they're recipients of them. They receive them—taxpayers'
funds. They understand the difference: the hard work of investing and
struggling and losing money one year and then being able to offset it against
profit the next—or not. No, the ABC has the same understanding of the
commercial world as does the opposition. (Time expired)
The Australian
Financial Review scenting blood after the prime minister’s
criticism went to print with this disingenuous take on 15 February 2018:
Both premises fatally
expose their author's innumeracy. The first is demonstrably false. Freely
available data produced by the Australian Taxation Office show that 32 of Australia's 50 largest
companies paid $19.33 billion in company tax in FY16 (FY17 figures are
not yet available). The other 18 paid nothing. Why? They lost money, or were
carrying over previous losses.
I’m sure North Coast Voices readers will quickly
notice that Alberici was citing statistics for a baseline of around 1,900
companies and the ‘Fin Review’ columnist was citing a baseline of 50 companies -
so of course the number of companies paying no tax to the number of companies
paying tax is going to differ between the two baselines.
Reading the full text there does not appear to be any factuall inaccuracies in the Alberici article being complained about.
Reading the full text there does not appear to be any factuall inaccuracies in the Alberici article being complained about.
Meanwhile ABC News withdrew the online version of
the economic analysis
and updated Alberici’s
companion article in order to provide further
information and context.
The companion
article still contains those same statistics:
Analysis by the ABC
reveals Qantas is not alone — about 380, or one in five, of Australia's largest companies have paid
no tax for at least the past three years.
However,
these opening lines written by Alberici in the article “There's no case for a corporate
tax cut when one in five of Australia's top companies don't pay it” on
14 February are now missing in action as this analysis gently sinks to the
bottom of the Internet:
There is no compelling
evidence that giving the country's biggest companies a tax cut sees that money
passed on to workers in the form of higher wages.
Treasury modelling
relies on theories that belie the reality that's playing out around the world.
Since the peak of the
commodities boom in 2011-12, profit margins have risen to levels not seen since
the early 2000s but wages growth has been slower than at any time since the
1960s.
The Guardian reported on 16 February that:
Guardian Australia understands ABC News management has been in crisis meetings for two days after the prime minister attacked the articles in question time and then wrote formal letters of complaint to management.
The Guardian reported on 16 February that:
Guardian Australia understands ABC News management has been in crisis meetings for two days after the prime minister attacked the articles in question time and then wrote formal letters of complaint to management.
I suspect
that what Turnbull took umbrage to in the first place was the fact that one article took a stronger position on
why corporate tax cuts were not good for the economy or wages growth and, therefore
were unlikely to benefit workers and
their families and, the other article which is still online did not address this aspect of government taxation policy.
So he set out to shoot the message down and be damned to the fate of the messenger.
Of course in attempting this Turnbull created a Steisand Effect With A Twist - ensuring that the full text of “There's no case for a corporate tax cut when one in five of Australia's top companies don't pay it” has been copied onto websites he can't bully and the article's analysis is still being discussed by voters.
So he set out to shoot the message down and be damned to the fate of the messenger.
Of course in attempting this Turnbull created a Steisand Effect With A Twist - ensuring that the full text of “There's no case for a corporate tax cut when one in five of Australia's top companies don't pay it” has been copied onto websites he can't bully and the article's analysis is still being discussed by voters.
BACKGROUND
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/...abc-turnbull.../story-fna045gd-1226869241476?...
Jan 26, 2018 - COMMUNICATIONS Minister
Malcolm Turnbull says ABC board members who do not want to
get involved in ensuring news content on the public broadcaster is accurate and
impartial should get off the board. Revealing he receives hundreds of complaints about
the ABC each week, MrTurnbull said “the ..
Q&A:
Malcolm Turnbull phones ABC boss Mark Scott to complain about crude Tony Abbott
tweet
26 August 2015
https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/...turnbull...abc.../ff6ad001ced93bb9c40eee1f4c839...
Dec 2, 2013 - THE minister in charge of
the ABC, Malcolm Turnbull, rang the broadcasters boss Mark Scott last
week to tell him he had made an “error of judgment” in teaming with the
Guardian to run revelations that the Indonesian presidents phone was bugged.
https://delimiter.com.au/.../watch-turnbull-implies-complained-abc-failed-nbn-coverag...
Feb 4,
2016 - Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull appears to have implied
that he made the samecomplaint to ABC management that he has
previously made in public before the 2013 Federal Election, stating that the
broadcaster had "failed" to provide balanced coverage of the
competing National Broadband Network ...
Australian
Tax Office, 2015-16 Report of Entity Tax Information
This report contains the total income, taxable income and tax payable of
over 2000 corporate tax entities for the 2015-16 year. This report also
includes separate lists of entities whose information was not available by the
cut-off date to produce the Report of Entity Tax Information for 2013-14 and
2014-15.
Labels:
corporations,
economy,
government policy,
Our ABC,
statistics,
taxation,
Turnbull Government
Tuesday 17 October 2017
This is how Nationals MP for Dawson is using your tax dollars
Almost every person is Australia pays some form of taxation, even if payment is confined to the Goods & Services Tax (GST).
These taxes can result in a little or a lot of dollars ending up in government coffers rather than finding a home in the household kitty .
So I’m sure readers in the Northern Rivers region where household incomes are on the lower end of the national scale will be really impressed with the fact that yet another Turnbull Government MP is spending taxpayer dollars on publicly attacking the Australian Broadcasting Commission – this time in defence of a foreign multinational of dubious repute.
I give you George Robert Christensen, former local government councillor, former journalist/newspaper editor and current Chair of the Joint Committee On Publications…….
5 OCTOBER 2017: I am publishing (in North Queensland newspapers) an open letter to the Head of Current Affairs at the ABC. Monday’s attack on jobs with a program called “Digging into Adani” demonstrated beyond doubt the national broadcaster is overly influenced by the extreme green movement. On behalf of North Queensland families desperate for jobs, I have demanded the ABC provide balance with another story focusing on the Townsville, Bowen and Mackay communities relying on the Carmichael Coal Project going ahead.
The program avoided facts, preferring the green movement’s stock-in-trade: allegations, accusations, and unsubstantiated claims. But no matter how many activists the ABC turns to for comment, repeating the same misinformation does not turn it into fact.
Monday’s episode relied almost exclusively on commentary from other journalists and green activists, including the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, which is funded by big (green left) money from the United States, including the Rockefellers. Their stated mission is “to accelerate the transition to a diverse, sustainable and profitable energy economy and to reduce dependence on coal and other non-renewable energy resources”.
Even lightly scratching the surface of the experts and organisations reveals strong links with the green movement and funding from other activist organisations such as Greenpeace. The lack of credible sources and repetition of the same old allegations, many of which are demonstrably false, indicate a disregard for objectivity. Monday’s episode contained nothing new of any substance, just a continuation of the ABC’s sustained attack on Adani, whose Carmichael Coal Project, when complete, will represent only 17 per cent of Queensland’s coal production.
By allowing itself to become a mouthpiece for green extremists, the ABC has distanced itself from the regional audience, who fund the broadcaster with their taxes. Regional-based journalists continue to engage with their local community but they are increasingly at odds with the Sydney-centric national programs. The national broadcaster still has an important role to play in regional and remote areas where options are limited. However, the Four Corners story is a clear example of capital city media elites talking amongst themselves and demonstrating a disdain for anyone outside their circle.
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