ABC Senate Estimates

Last week the twice-yearly Senate Estimates Committee sat in Canberra and devoted some time to the ABC. Two Senators, in particular, seem to share ICJS's concerns with the ABC. Senator Ronaldson (Lib, Victoria) and Senator Fierravanti-Wells (Lib New South Wales). To send feedback to either Senator click on the links above. Here are some excerpts:

Senator FIERRAVANTI-WELLS—You recently gave a speech in which you defended the ABC against allegations of bias by saying the ABC had managed to offend every Prime Minister since 1932. Are you aware of that speech?

Mr Balding—I am.

Senator FIERRAVANTI-WELLS—Doesn’t that actually confirm the allegation made against the ABC that it continually attacks government of either hue from a position well to the Left?

Mr Balding—I reject that, Senator—far from it. The point I was trying to make is that the ABC is balanced. It is balanced because of the nature of its operations and its governance processes. As I said earlier, we have a number of processes in place, particularly through our editorial policies, that ensure that the ABC’s content overall is balanced and impartial.

Senator FIERRAVANTI-WELLS—I will be coming to that as well. Senator Ronaldson mentioned Gordon Bick. This journalist was employed in a senior role on a flagship current affairs program. He has clearly got a left-wing propagandist view of journalism. Surely, having had an admission by somebody so senior, you cannot sit here and deny that there is no left-wing bias in your organisation.

Mr Balding—Senator, I do not even know the gentleman. It was well before my time; I believe he was employed some time ago. You would be surprised to know, with respect to a number of people who used to work for the ABC, that whenever they write something, they always say ‘former ABC journalist’ or ‘former ABC producer’; they do not say what they are currently doing or what they have done over the last three to five years. Everyone is entitled to their views and opinions. I do not accept that gentleman’s opinions as outlined here tonight. As I have outlined to this committee on a number of occasions, I am definitely of the view that the ABC is not biased. We have a number of processes and procedures in place to put any of those issues on check. There are times—

Senator FIERRAVANTI-WELLS—Thank you, Mr Balding. Believe me, I have read all the answers that you provided on notice. By rote, you repeat the same old answers to the questions. In the end you are entitled to your opinion, Mr Balding, and so am I, only I am a taxpayer and I help to pay your wages. Mr Balding, at the last estimates you were provided with an exhaustive list of left-wing protest activities undertaken by a whole range of your broadcast staff. I note that you confirmed these activities in the answers that were provided.

Also:

Senator GEORGE CAMPBELL—Mr Balding, why will the ABC not release complaints made by members of the public about its coverage of Middle Eastern affairs?

Mr Balding—As a rule we do not release the details of the complainant. In respect of complaints we publish quarterly online—and Mr Green will be able to give you more details—the nature of the complaint and whether that complaint was upheld or not. But as an issue in respect of privacy we do not publish the name of the complainant.

Senator GEORGE CAMPBELL—An article appeared in the Bulletin of 15 November. The Bulletin column claims that they are already spending $17,000 on producing the documents. They had at that point spent two days in court with a senior counsel, a junior counsel and a team of solicitors.

Mr Balding—I think you are referring to a freedom of information application?

Senator GEORGE CAMPBELL—FOI, yes.

Mr Balding—Mr Green is across the detail of that. He will be able to bring you up to date.

Mr Green—The issue is that Sydney University has made a claim through freedom of information to access the correspondence that people have written to us concerning Middle Eastern politics, and they are wanting to access the actual letters. We are in the process of resolving this matter in the courts with them. The issue is not the matter of money. The issue is that, when people write to the ABC, we believe they should have a reasonable expectation that they are writing as part of private correspondence, unless they wish to put it on the public record, and some people do that as part of their complaints process. But generally the 40,000-plus complaints or contacts that we get in a year are where people write to us with the expectation of that correspondence being private and confidential. That is the issue that we are contesting in this matter. It is not a question of money or the resources that we have in terms of being able to gather this material. The issue is the integrity of the communication between our audience and the ABC over matters that concern them.

 A major concern has been the ABC attitude to its rural and regional audience.

Senator ADAMS- (quoting from a Perth ABC program manager) ...

"Most of the hard news and state based issues, such as political debates, health, education and transport are broadcast before 10.00. Between 10am and midday, Liam now has the opportunity to tackle issues of particular relevance to the city—the roads, rates and rubbish issues, which do not necessarily affect regional listeners."

Our new Premier for Western Australia was interviewed many times between 10 o’clock and 12 o’clock. I do not think he would like to be looked upon as ‘roads, rates and rubbish’ and things like that. We are terribly disappointed. When the program was changed, I did ask Ms Howard last time about a petition that had been sent by 8,000 of our constituents to the ABC, and she just said, ‘Well, it was only a small thing and I really do not know what it was about.’

Since then, the ABC has paid a market research company to survey a thousand Western Australians living in rural and regional areas to get their views on returning the morning program to its original broadcast footprint. I just wonder why the ABC would go out and spend extra money on a survey when they already had 8,000 people from rural and regional Western Australia who had asked for exactly the same thing. Could someone answer that?

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A little further on:

Senator RONALDSON—How much was spent effectively trying to overturn the 8,000 signatures by interviewing a thousand? What was the cost of that?

Mr Balding—I do not know. I can take that onboard. Again, the ABC regularly undertakes focus groups with its audiences to find out if there are any issues, can we improve our services, what are the types of services that the audience is looking for. To get a proper sample, you need to go beyond what would a particular interest group be saying to balance that out.

For some humour:

CHAIR—Senator Joyce has a question.

Senator JOYCE—I like the ABC. I reckon it is great. Radio National is like the University of the Third Age; it is great to listen to. Triple J wakes you back up when Radio National is sending you to sleep. I have a couple of brief questions. Do you have to have The Planet on every day on Radio National? It is very boring.

CHAIR—It is a late-night music program.

Senator JOYCE—Do you ever listen to it?

Mr Balding—I have listened to it occasionally, but these are programs—

Senator JOYCE—I put it on in the house and the cat fell asleep.

More from Senator Joyce:

Senator JOYCE—Finally, why is it that you can always tell me what the weather was like in St George but you can never tell me what it is going to be like? Every night, I watch the weather and it tells me how hot it was. I know that; I live there. But it can never tell me how hot it is going to be tomorrow. What happens to St George on the prognosis chart?

Mr Cameron—On the television, do you mean?

Senator JOYCE—Yes, on the television.

Mr Cameron—I do not know. There is a forecast element, and it should cover your particular spot as well as everyone else’s.

Senator JOYCE—It is the same with a lot of towns. You fit us on the map to tell us what it was like, but we seem to be off the map when you are going to tell us what it is going to be like. Can we have that looked into? I just want to help the people of regional Queensland to find out what the weather is going to be like tomorrow, as opposed to yesterday.

Mr Cameron—There is a component of the forecast, as you know, that does point ahead. There are divisional forecasts, as you know, region by region. I know it does not predict the temperature tomorrow for St George, but it does generally cover the area.

To download the transcript click on Extract of Hansard relating to ABC .

Speaking about the fact that journalists themselves believe the ABC is biased:

Senator RONALDSON—Mr Balding, have you read a book published by Melbourne University Publishing entitled, The Alfred Deakin Debate: Barons to Bloggers?

Mr Balding—No.

Senator RONALDSON—It is a book about media power and the contributors include: ABC chairman, Donald McDonald; publisher Eric Beecher; political journalist Margo Kingston; Andrew Clark, AFR journalist and former editor. Indeed, Mr McDonald wrote the preface. The book has a reference in it to an independent study by the RMIT, Roy Morgan and the Reader and the study sought to determine how journalists view the media in terms of the most bias in Australia. In answer to which media outlet is the most biased, 40 per cent of journalists said News Limited and 25 per cent said the ABC. So, 25 per cent of Australian journalists think the ABC is the most biased media outlet in Australia and, as a whole, Australian journalists rate the ABC as the second-most biased media outlet. How do you respond to a book with a preface by your Donald McDonald indicating that journalists think that you are biased?

To download the transcript click on Extract of Hansard relating to ABC .