Bernie Ripoll (Oxley, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Industry, Infrastructure and Industrial Relations) Share this | Hansard source

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation Amendment Bill 2006 is the latest instalment in the Howard government’s ideological crusade against the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Armed with its Senate majority, the government is determined to remake the ABC—and, dare I say, maybe in its own image—and stamp out any semblance of independence. This legislation is bad news for Australians—Australians who care about a strong and independent ABC. This bill has significant implications for the governance of the ABC. It implements an announcement in March by the Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, Senator Coonan, that the government would restructure the ABC board. The proposed restructure consists of just one measure: the abolition of the position on the board that is held by a director elected by the ABC staff and, knowing the size of the ABC and the number of staff, it would obviously be an important position and one that is representative and serves its role well.

This position has been in place under Labor and coalition governments for the last 23 years. The board of the ABC is a body charged with significant responsibilities. ABC directors are required to be the guardians and protectors of a national asset that has been built up by generations of Australians over more than 70 years. The board is charged with responsibility for ensuring that the ABC fulfils the charter given to it by this parliament and it is a special role in Australian culture. The board must also maintain the independence and integrity of the ABC and ensure that the gathering and presentation of news and information is accurate and impartial.

Labor believes that the parliament should maximise the likelihood of those appointed as directors of the ABC being capable of fulfilling these duties. Regrettably, that is not what this legislation does or is about. There is no evidence to support the proposition that the removal of the staff elected director will in any way enhance the operation of the ABC board. In fact, the overwhelming evidence is that the removal of the staff elected director will reduce the level of broadcasting expertise on the board.

In moving this bill, the government has concocted an argument that the staff elected director is subject to a potential conflict of interest because of who that person is. The government contends that staff elected directors may feel obliged to represent the interests of the people who elect them rather than to act in the best interests of the ABC which, if you really think about it, implies a whole range of things about their responsibilities and duties as a board director. We have not heard any government members actually challenge any staff elected directors on any specifics or charge them with any specifics for dereliction of duty, if that were to be the case.

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