3th July 1998

Letter to the Editor
The Age

Dear Sir/Madam

Efforts of Senator Alston, the Minister for Communications, to discredit the ABC in the eyes of the Australian public are revealed again in the recent written direction to his department to be more critical of the ABC when responding to public complaints.

When questioned on this matter in Parliament, Senator Alston insisted that if people write to him, "they expect me to write back and address their concerns". Yet thousands of Australians who have written to the Minister in support of the ABC still await his reply, and despite his communication to us in 1996 that he "would be pleased to meet with Friends of the ABC in the new year", he has failed to do so.

Senator Alston seriously cut ABC funds, betraying his unequivocal pre-election commitment to the Australian public. In early 1997, leaked cabinet documents revealed that while denying it to the public, he acknowedged to his cabinet colleagues the inconsistency of cuts to the ABC with Government election commitments. The documents also exposed his government's intent to control the ABC - in their own words "give us the ability to influence future ABC functions and activities more directly". The Minister attempts to interfere in the ABC and communicates to the public his false accusations of bias when, quite rightly, the ABC refuses to bow to pressure to 'run the government line'.

Senator Alston has dedicated this term of government to undermining the ABC and to miscommunicating his actions to the Australian public. Perhaps this Minister for Communications could more appropriately be named the Minister for Miscommunications.

Yours sincerely

[signed]

(Dr) June Factor
National Spokesperson
Friends of the ABC