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Little by little, the ABC dies

Stewart Fist, Information Technology journalist with The Australian, examines how politicians and executives manage unpopular change in an age in which they have lost public trust.

... the thin-end-of-the-wedge approach when something nasty is being introduced, and salami-slicing when good things are being taken away.

Incrementalism is a well-understood technique of governance that is effective when executives and politicians need to force through change against public opposition. Incrementalism has two subdivisions: the thin-end-of-the-wedge approach when something nasty is being introduced, and salami-slicing when good things are being taken away.

The whole point of incrementalism is to be unobtrusive so, when a story hits the front pages of the newspaper, the tactic has partly failed. Then there is a need to go public, characterise objectors as zealots, purists, or fanatics, and say everyone is overreacting. This last claim has the uncommon virtue of truth.

Opponents of incremental change have no choice but to over-react. Increments always increase when the first change has been adopted. The only successful tactic is to cut off incrementalism at the earliest possible moment.

Bureaucrats and politicians know most people have a high threshold of annoyance, and require attacks on their personal well-being before they respond and participate in counter measures. So the whistleblower can always be isolated and labelled difficult, or someone with a bee in their bonnet. You might think I am talking in circles here about the deal between the ABC and Telstra over Internet content, and you'd be incrementally right.

To me, the media (and particularly the ABC) is the infrastructure of Australian democracy, and I want it to be as pure as possible.

Do not be fearful! Do not be fearful! Trust in the ABC, just as our audiences trust in the ABC. Stand firm, stand fast! Brian Johns, on the Telstra deal. Media Report RN 17/2/2000

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This thin-end-of-the-wedge approach to commercialising the ABC is only one aspect of what has become common practice in government and political circles, and in many public and mutual organisations (notably AMP and NRMA).

In the last week alone I could point to stories about CARE workers in Somalia and Serbia who were asked to help with military monitoring. It compromised all international humanitarian missions -- but only a little!

SBS also revealed that for almost a year AustAid told the Australian government Indonesian militia were incrementally murdering Timor's opposition. Indonesia correctly judged that daily massacres of 10 to 20 people would be below Australia's threshold for action. We have a remarkable tolerance for small massacres among non-European people.

Then there's the Australian Broadcasting Authority's cash-for-comment report on John Laws and Alan Jones -- an example of a system finally reaching the thick end of the wedge, where it is impossible to pretend it hasn't been noticed.

When the wedge has been driven in far enough to be widely noticed and bought to public attention, there are a number of standard and predictable defences.

Globalisation and world's best-practice are always good lines to trot out. We are told Australia must follow the pattern of other countries or be left behind. Communications Minister Richard Alston used this line to claim the ABC is only following the BBC's lead in flogging its online material.

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