Nola Marino (Forrest, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The ABC plays an important role in many of our regional and remote communities, particularly in thin regional communication markets and during emergencies. Many years ago, I was proud to be selected as an ABC Rural Woman of the Year.

Well, I'm actually not proud of the ABC anymore—I'm appalled and disgusted. The ABC has become openly Green Left, politically biased and, too often, totally inaccurate—representing, by majority, city-centric elite activists in its news and current affairs delivery. It's no wonder, because the majority of the ABC's staff are located in cities. The 2023-24 annual report shows that 4,520 staff are based in metro areas and that only 594 are in regional and remote areas. No wonder we've seen the direct attacks on rural and regional farmers in how the city-centric ABC reported on the live cattle and live sheep issues. It was reported in such a way that the then Labor government first shut down the live cattle trade, and this has now been followed up with the shutting down of the live sheep trade. In each case, in the initial reporting, the ABC told only one side of the story—and what appalling attacks on our farmers and our regional communities as a result! I believe and hope that some of our regional ABC journalists actually understood the damage that has been done.

I have watched the bias and politicisation of city ABC news and current affairs for years, and it has progressively got worse. I will never forget some years ago, when we were in government, when in 2016 I read a terribly inaccurate ABC story about the sexual assault of a child in Nauru that proved to be completely false. The list goes on and on. I kept a file of those for so many years.

But the final straw has come for me as a result of the ABC's sustained attacks on our Australian Defence Force over the last few years, culminating in the deliberate and calculated falsifying of video footage, which was literally doctored footage inserted by the ABC into a story that was clearly designed to provide 'live evidence' to validate the journalist's story. By adding the extra gunshots to this combat footage, the ABC was determined to provide evidence that members of the Australian 2nd Commando Regiment in a helicopter fired multiple shots at what the ABC claimed were unarmed Afghan civilians.

There is no doubt the ABC has been determined to vilify the Australian Defence Force members for years, desperately trying to prove they were guilty of war crimes. In spite of the weasel words we heard at Senate estimates, and a pathetic and carefully orchestrated internal 'review' that in no way passes the pub test of any fair-minded Australian, there is no doubt in anyone's mind that the ABC journalist and his team did indeed deliberately doctor, falsify, manipulate and distort information, material and evidence in order to mislead audiences, which was designed to substantiate that journalist's storyline that the ADF was guilty of and had committed a war crime.

And, yes, ABC, if the gunshots had been added with the deliberate purpose of misleading the audience then, in the words of your own carefully selected internal reviewer, Mr Sunderland, it would have amounted to 'one of the most egregious and serious breaches imaginable of fundamental journalistic ethics.' But this is exactly what ABC did. It was in fact 'one of the most egregious and serious breaches imaginable of fundamental journalistic ethics', otherwise the shots would not have been heard in the audio at all—and if it had been an error the ABC would have corrected that fact immediately. The ABC cannot deny this. The evidence is clear.

This if further proof beyond doubt that the ABC has not and will not meet its charter obligations, which state the ABC has to provide 'comprehensive broadcasting services of a high standard'. The duties of the board include:

… to ensure that the gathering and presentation by the Corporation of news and information is accurate and impartial according to the recognized standards of objective journalism; …

Well, it's obvious that the ABC is not accurate and it is definitely not impartial.

I am sickened by the fact that the ABC board and employees will all be probably smiling at how well they delivered their story that they wanted the public to believe. In spite of how deliberately egregious and wrong that story was, no-one has been held or will be held responsible or accountable. The board and the management and staff will carry on business as usual, and nothing will change at the ABC. This is just further evidence of the green-left ABC and that it s a law unto itself.

But what is even worse is that, according to the 2024 ABC annual report, Australian taxpayers are paying a record amount of more than $1.1 billion for this. I understand that the ABC is asking for even more taxpayers' dollars at a time that its audience numbers are dwindling by 670,000 a week. No wonder the audience numbers are falling with stories like this. It is a bit like shooting fish in a barrel, when you attack our Defence Force members. The ABC is determined not to represent broad Australian interests or views. There is a very clear lack of impartiality and balance, and there appears to be a consistent narrative for the green, left ABC to criticise defence.

Editorial standards at the ABC require accuracy, impartiality, excellence and independence. The ABC has failed this test, as we've seen with this story, not only in the audio editing I talked about already but in defence industry coverage I've seen recently. The reporting showed a clear lack of balanced sources of information and featured those with known agendas who are keen to disrupt defence. It did not demonstrate any of the great achievements of the ADF, the other side of that story. This is information the Australian people have a right to and deserve to know from a media organisation they pay for; it is coverage which would give our serving ADF members pride in their achievements and would actually help the ABC meet its editorial standard of broadcasting programs that contribute to a sense of national identity.

The lack of balance was clear in the ABC's Land Forces expo protest coverage. ABC news coverage was reported as 'People injured in the Land Forces expo protests this week are assessing their legal options, lawyer says'. There was little or no criticism of the violent protesters, and where was the reporting on the attendees, who were either attacked or had to seek alternate routes? Why was there no reporting of the fact that the ADF personnel were advised not to attend the workplace on St Kilda Road for fear of attack? Why was there no reporting that ADF personnel were strongly advised not to wear their uniforms to work in that area for fear of attack? Why was there little reporting of the fact that ADF personnel were harassed at hotels? The ABC article actually sought greater legal defence mechanisms promoting greater protection for the protesters who were violent—one side of that story only.

I am sick of these attacks on defence. This lack of balanced reporting and the ABC's ongoing sustained attack on our ADF has to have a really dramatic and dreadful impact at a time when retention and recruitment are problems and given the findings of the royal commission into veterans' suicide.

The ABC editorial standards state that it should be broadcasting programs that, as I said, contribute to a sense of national identity. How is tearing at our ADF adding to our sense of national identity? It actually undermines Australia's values, freedoms and democracy. That's in spite of our young people, who are in significant and impressive numbers participating at events such as Anzac Day.

It's no wonder the ABC is losing its audiences. It is not providing comprehensive broadcasting and services of a very high standard. I'm presenting the editorial by the board and the duties of the board to ensure that the gathering and presentation by the corporation of news and information is accurate and impartial according to the recognised standards of objective journalism.

I can't believe that this is what we're getting from what is supposed to be our national ABC. As someone who lives and works in regional Australia, for so long we relied on the ABC to be exactly that and to provide those of us in the regions not only with accurate reporting but with timely responses that we need whenever there is an emergency. I am so saddened at what the ABC has become.

Matt Burnell (Spence, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In my first speech in this place as the member for Spence, back on 1 August 2022, I said the following words which still ring true for me today: 'Strengthening our communities is the Australian way.'

It is on these terms that I am guided in my effort to best represent the constituents of Spence, because, for our local community across the northern suburbs of Adelaide, which has within it some of the most disadvantaged areas of metropolitan Australia, people on the ground must be the front and centre of its representatives' priorities.

With that ethos in mind, we've had some incredible outcomes under the Albanese Labor government since I was elected, which local voices helped to come to fruition. That's why I'm going to take the time to call attention to positive change we have seen under the Labor government in this term.

The Albanese Labor government's No. 1 priority is fighting the cost of living. We know that families across the country are doing it tough. I know that things are especially hard in my electorate of Spence. The northern suburbs of Adelaide are already disadvantaged, and this is not news to any residents that are watching. They also know that, instead of seeing a guy in a suit talk at issues, you want a government that makes them better—and rightly so. The federal Labor government hears you, and we're taking action to do just that. We have delivered a bigger, better and fairer tax cut for 91 per cent of taxpayers in my electorate compared to liberal alternative. That 67,000 people in Gawler, Elizabeth, Salisbury and everywhere in between who will earn, on average, $1,217 more every year because of this change. Chances are that, if you noticed your pay getting bigger since July this year, it's because of these changes. And we aren't stopping there either, because more needs to be done.

We're making housing more affordable for both buyers and renters throughout our Help to Buy and Build to Rent forms. They're providing significant financial support for 40,000 Australian families who are low- or middle-income earners to own their own home as well as taking pressure off the rental market by boosting affordable housing as part of our efforts to increase supply and drive down prices. We've also delivered $300 of energy bill relief for every single household in this country. We have boosted Commonwealth rent assistance by 40 per cent since 2022. We increased the low-income Medicare threshold last year to ensure over one million low-income earners either remain exempt from the Medicare levy or pay a reduced rate. We've overseeing a $54 90-a-fortnight increase to the JobSeeker payment. We've delivered a third consecutive pay rise for 2.6 million Australian workers. All the while, we've managed to put a lid on inflation, reducing it by over half its previous peak since coming to government.

Labor is delivering outcomes through policy, influenced by your experience on the ground, but we know as a government that this work isn't done. I know as your local member for Spence that many families in the north are still living week to week, still struggling with their bills, still struggling to buy groceries. That's why we're committed to policies that bring your costs down. That's why we're delivering positive changes that directly affect your livelihoods, as I've mentioned. And I will never stop advocating to do that, because the cost of living is Labor's No. 1 priority.

The Albanese Labor government is continuing to deliver local projects across the northern suburbs of Adelaide. This comes back to something I mentioned in my maiden speech: that strengthening communities is the Australian way. A Labor government is one that embraces the Australian way by ensuring that where we live continues to grow and remains up to scratch so that everyday Australian families can thrive in their communities. We have done that the city of Playford, funding a plethora of local projects in the suburbs of Elizabeth, Munno Para, Smithfield, Andrews Farm, Davoren Park, Angle Vale and more. These have included contributing over $1 million to upgrade and maintain sporting facilities in Kalara Reserve in Davoren Park as well as providing funding for works on the Mandeville and Willison-Goodman reserves in Davoren Park and Elizabeth South, respectively. That's come alongside nearly $10 million the federal government has provided to the City of Playford to fix and upgrade roads across our community since Labor was elected. With a multitude of projects either underway or completed, this funding includes over $5 million provided for Stebonheath Road upgrade alongside the $1.2 million contribution to fund a brand-new roundabout at the intersection of Dalkeith and Stebonheath roads and a complete overhaul of Kinkaid roads in Elizabeth East with an $800,000 contribution from the federal Labor government. Last but not least, there is a $15 million contribution for a dual-lane roundabout at the intersection of Curtis and Heaslip roads, fixing what the RAA called SA's riskiest intersection.

We've also contributed over $3 million to fund infrastructure in Salisbury, with the federal government covering the total cost of upgrades for the Burton Community Hub, Twelve25 in Salisbury and the improvements to Church and John streets as well as funding a $1.5 million upgrade for the Salisbury recreation precinct on Happy Home Drive and providing funds for the planned pedestrian costing for the Salisbury North Primary School, which is due to be completed next year.

Finally, let's talk about the town of Gawler. I'm so proud that the federal government has provided $400,000 to upgrade Dead Mans Pass and ensure this incredible amenity is safe for residents to enjoy. We have also provided over $1 million in funding to upgrade and maintain multiple roads in Kudla, Gawler South and Reid, alongside over $300,000 to construct playgrounds on Greenslade Boulevard, Calton Road and Julian Terrace.

Across all the areas of the electorate I've mentioned, I'm just scratching the surface. We have provided tens of millions of dollars through Roads to Recovery funding, which you can see in action across our community as roads are maintained and improved. Our commitment to our community is matched by our actions, and the Albanese Labor government has no intention of taking its foot off the pedal.

The Albanese Labor government believes in education. We believe in it because education is the master key to opportunity for Australians. It is the open door for people to create fulfilling lives individually, to thrive with their loved ones as a family and to build a community around them. But that key only works if all Australians can access it. That door slams shut if Aussies can't get to university or if they can't afford to access TAFE. Without that master key, our community sees existing disadvantage get worse. We see cycles of poverty continue which would otherwise be broken.

It is a priority of our government to be that circuit breaker and lift disadvantaged Australians from committees like the north—from suburbs like Elizabeth, Salisbury and Gawler—into places of learning so they can thrive. This is something I have fought incredibly hard to achieve over the course of my term and I'm proud to say that this is what Albanese Labor government is delivering.

If you're a current university student, I have some incredible news. You are going to have a brand new Suburban University Study Hub located right in the middle of Elizabeth, in the existing TAFE precinct, in 2025. This is going to slash your travel costs by bringing uni to your doorstep, turn your commute from a round trip of hours into a trip of minutes and help link you to the incredible opportunities to be had at TAFE—should you choose to pursue them—and vice versa for TAFE students. This is a massive outcome for our community, which currently has no university presence on this scale north of Mawson Lakes. It is an outcome the Albanese Labor government has delivered.

The good news continues for TAFE too. A Labor government will make 100,000 fee-free TAFE places a permanent feature of our education system, building on what has made TAFE more affordable and more accessible for over half a million Aussies. Furthermore, if you've already completed your study, we're levelling the playing field for you as well. We will reduce existing student debts by 20 per cent, if re-elected next year. We are changing the system so you only pay your debts off when you earn enough to afford it, and we have reversed the massive indexation on your student debt, which you would have seen last year.

We're doing this not just because former students deserve a fair go themselves but also to make the system fairer both now and in the future, because we want everyone to be able to access education, no matter who you are, where you are from or what you earn. This is what breaks down barriers for people, this is what creates livelihoods for families and this is what an Albanese Labor government is always going to do.

Health is a huge priority for the Albanese government. We know that Australians need to be able to access our world-class health care affordably, whenever they need it. I know that in the north it has become harder to access that care, whether that's seeing your GP, receiving emergency health care or accessing mental health support. That's why Labor is pulling out all stops to make this easier.

Karen Andrews (McPherson, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Time for the grievance debate has expired. The debate is interrupted in accordance with standing order 192B. The debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the date for the next sitting.