Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Coonan, Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts. Has the minister seen reports that senior government figures are concerned that Bastard Boys, a drama series being produced by the ABC on the 1998 waterfront dispute, will display a pro-union bias? Does the minister agree with her colleague Senator Fierravanti-Wells that Bastard Boys is part of ‘an anti-government, pro-left agenda at the ABC’? Given that the series is still being filmed, is the minister aware of any evidence whatsoever to suggest that this program will be biased in any way? Isn’t Senator Fierravanti-Wells just trying to enforce her own prejudices in flagrant disregard for the ABC charter? When will the minister defend the independence of our—that is, all of us—ABC against ill-informed attacks by her Liberal Party colleagues?