Ralph Babet (Victoria, United Australia Party) Share this | Hansard source

Were the ABC—I'm sure you will all remember this—disgracefully labelling the royal family as a bunch of colonialists? Am I wrong or am I right? I think I'm right when I say that, because that's what they did do. Were the ABC wrongly accused the 'no' campaign of using AI generated Aboriginals to promote the 'no' case? I saw that quite recently.

I could stand here all day today and all day tomorrow and list the outrageous indiscretions of our taxpayer funded broadcaster. There are a lot of them; this is just one in a long list. But, no, this time their failure appears to be far more sinister. Is that even possible? I don't know if it is, but maybe it is. They turned up at a private citizen's residence in what was, in my opinion, almost—almost, so not quite—akin to a home invasion. That should be beyond the pale. That is what it should be—am I crazy or what? It should be that even for the ABC. But evidently, no, it is not.

The ABC claimed that their crew didn't know where they were going that morning. They didn't know, apparently! The ABC claimed that their crew didn't know at whose house they were filming when they started gathering that footage. They didn't know! The ABC claimed that their team remained on private property. That is what they claimed! Well, the evidence from the video footage shows that what happened was quite contrary to their claim. The national broadcaster, ladies and gents, senators in this place, people watching at home, is not a law unto itself. It is paid for, funded by the taxpayer. They're who pay for it. Taxpayers like who? Like Meg O'Neill, whose home was, in my opinion—it's just my opinion—attacked as our national broadcaster stood by and filmed.

The UAP and I support the inquiry into the ABC's conduct in this matter—of course I do. I would support any inquiry into the ABC—bring them on! Do you know what I am looking forward to? Dragging them in front of estimates—that's what I am looking forward to do. As reps of the taxpayer—that's what we are—it is our duty to hold our taxpayer funded broadcaster to account. This is just the latest incident of many. To the ABC I say: we must hold you to account, we must delve into what you are up to, we must unravel the mess that you are and we must set you straight. Hopefully, this is just a step one in that process.