MICHELLE ROWLAND MP SHADOW MINISTER FOR COMMUNICATIONS MEMBER FOR GREENWAY
LABOR REJECTS FLETCHER’S ABC GOVERNANCE GRAB
Labor notes Minister Fletcher’s desperate announcement that the ABC and SBS will receive the funding envelopes they require to operate in accordance with their statutory Charters for the Australian people.
But the Liberal National Government has broken its promise on ABC and SBS funding before, and voters will not easily forget the past eight years of Liberal lies, cuts and attacks.
The ABC and SBS should operate on a ‘business as usual’ basis, rather than the ‘cuts as usual’ basis that has been the hallmark of this Government.
The national broadcasters are key democratic and cultural institutions whose independence is enshrined in legislation, and funding stability is an important guard against political interference.
It is, therefore, concerning that the Minister has issued ‘Statements of Expectations’ that the ABC and SBS undertake a new reporting function, given the Minister is not empowered to issue Statements of Expectations to the national broadcasters.
The ABC and SBS are not subject to direction by or on behalf of the Government, except in limited circumstances, and the ABC Board need only give consideration to Government policy in specific circumstances.
Make no mistake, Minister Fletcher’s “Statement of Expectations” requiring additional regional reporting is a form of regulation by stealth, and the notion the national broadcasters should comply with this Minister’s expectations as a quid pro quo for funding is wholly unacceptable.
The decision on whether to provide additional reporting is entirely a matter for the ABC and SBS, who already provide transparency in a range of ways. While Labor has no issue with transparency and reporting in principle, we note it may be used as an avenue for political interference in the national broadcasters, in certain circumstances, and we reject this Minister’s governance invention.
While the Government is desperate for Australians to think the funding wars are over, it would appear incursions on ABC and SBS independence will only continue under Scott Morrison.
The key expectation that matters is the independence of the ABC and SBS.
