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Quarterly Newsletter: Autumn 2000 Vol.2 No.1

Sell-out of the ABC by its trustees?

There has been an outcry in the media about plans to join the ABC's future to Telstra's, and an outcry about Senator Alston's leaked directive re ABC management in a letter to board chairman, Donald McDonald.

At the same time good news about the ABC abounds. We know that 92% of Australians rate the value of the ABC to the Australian community as valuable. We know that average production costs for both radio and television are around 0.4% of those of the commercial stations and networks. We know that there are twice the number of Australians who rate the quality of ABC television programs 'good' as for their commercial rivals - 87% to 43%. And we also know that while the cost of the BBC per day per person is the equivalent of 33 cents a day, we pay 7.7 cents.

It was sad therefore to hear the minister responsible for the funding and well-being of the ABC, Senator Alston, tell Paul Barry on Media Watch 21/2, 'I think in terms of modern management practices the ABC is languishing badly with comparison with people like the BBC, I don't think it has the same efficiency ethos that others do.' Note that while Senator Alston is responsible also for commercial radio, we have not observed him judging those 'ranting for reward'.

Strange, isn't it, how the private sector is self-regulated, ill-supervised, exploitative and shielded from competition, while the public broadcaster is to be hog-tied in its planning and performance by boards of 'independent experts' and thrown to the commercial wolves for its funding.

The ABC is built on trust

The ABC is still thought to be free of the influence of corporations and not in the business of tailoring its programs for sponsors. But one-fifth of its operating expenses now comes from sources other than parliamentary appropriations, and the submission from ABC management and Board for the next triennium includes an offer to raise a further $40 million, which would bring the total operating revenue from 'independent sources' to $180 million.

Thus the ABC is becoming increasingly dependent on a variety of commercial sources. The ABC is built on trust. If the foundations are eaten away and the building begins to crumble, it will be only a question of time before what we have is only a facade.

The ABC has to be properly funded from the public purse. It is held in such high regard by the Australian people - remember that 92% - that paying for it from taxes must be a proper measure for any government.

We are riding high economically and are told we can look forward to a more efficient tax system. We are not living in a third-world country.

We cannot afford not to have a robust and fearless public broadcaster wholly funded by the Parliament to which it is accountable. This is a message every one of us must send - by letter or phone - to our federal MPs and to the Prime Minister and Cabinet before it is too late.