Off the Air

Down at the ABC, they sure know how to holiday

DURING the workplace reform debate, the ABC was a standard-bearer for the old industrial awards system that stipulated annual leave and holiday loadings, with minimum wriggle-room for individual enterprises and workers. Well, too bad the stars of ABC radio and television are not working under a system like that, or maybe we'd be getting better value for our annual $757 million . . . sorry, our 10c each a day. Because when it comes to Australia's summer of nick-off, the celebrities on "your" ABC put even the nation's judges to shame.

Take 7.30 Report presenter Kerry O'Brien. He decamped on December 12 and isn't expected back until late January or early February (program staff weren't sure, when we called). But at least an "Australia A" version of the 7.30 Report kicks along in his absence. Media Watch, on the other hand, closed shop back in the first week of November, leaving those who dare question the Left worldview free to do their worst until mid-February. Same story with Four Corners. Lateline and Insiders both put up the "Gone Fishing" shingle in the first week of December and won't return until February 6 and 12, respectively. Nor is the situation any better on ABC local radio – in fact, it's worse. To choose just one example, Virginia Trioli had no sooner settled into the mornings chair at 702 in Sydney than she was off again, replaced for the holiday season by a regional presenter who – no offence – sounds like one. And guess what: he'll be doing mornings nationally for the next fortnight.

So where are these gun presenters all summer long? Honing their interview skills on kookaburras and gum trees down the coast? We understand that the rationale of the ABC is to reassure humanities academics that somebody still sees things their way, but that is hardly an excuse for adopting the 28-week working year of the universities. Maybe the next time ABC chairman Donald McDonald turns up in Canberra crying poor, Communications Minister Helen Coonan should tell him to extract some productivity gains from his stars.