Kate Lundy (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Sport and Recreation) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Madam Acting Deputy President. I think it is a very important point to make that, yes, this government did build the National Museum, but they did not build it with the right to then cast their own political view on the nature and content of that institution. That is not the purpose of building national institutions. I think any reasonable Australian citizen would agree that the government’s role and responsibility is to make that investment in a sound and reasonable way and to establish the governance of that institution in such a way that it can function independently. I do not believe that has occurred with a number of institutions under the Howard government. I use the museum as an example because I have followed very closely its fortunes in various budgets of the Howard government and I know that the institution was placed under serious pressure. It was not the case when Senator Kemp was the minister; it occurred under previous ministers. The allegation I have made will stand the test of time as that board’s influence on the nature and content of that institution continues to be exerted.

We know and have observed for a long time now that there is a cultural war occurring, that the Howard government has made a conscious decision to use cultural institutions such as the ABC and the museum to have its view of the world reflected within those institutions. We can see it through the evidence as I have presented today and previously.

Going back to the editorial independence of the ABC, I think the proposed new editorial guidelines will rob the ABC of genuine independence. They constitute nothing more than an attempt by this government to force the ABC to advocate the government’s own agenda. This pressure can be observed every time we have an estimates hearing and a tag team of coalition senators line up to nitpick through a series of spurious arguments that they actively garner and seek through asking, presumably, Liberal Party members and others to make specific complaints at estimates. This is particularly objectionable when you think that the Senate estimates process is one of the few forums where we, as opposition senators, have the rare opportunity to pursue issues with the government, government agencies and cultural institutions to hold the government accountable. It is a pretty serious, focused and, I would say, highly politically motivated tactic on behalf of coalition senators to use that time.

The issue for the longer term with the cultural wars and the Howard government’s treatment of our national institutions is that some balance will have to be restored. Labor have already stated that when we win government our policy will be to restore genuine independence to the board of the ABC and to allow that institution to regain the proud status it had under previous Labor governments. Hopefully, we will by example be able to teach a lesson to the Howard government on how not to abuse your responsibility when you have been charged with managing these institutions. I urge senators opposite to take note: do not be so arrogant with important cultural institutions such as the ABC. (Time expired)