Chair of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), Ita Buttrose has accused the Senate Communications Committee of attempting to usurp the role of the ABC Board and undermine the operational independence of the Broadcaster.
Ms Buttrose (pictured) said the Senate inquiry into the ABC’s complaints handling process, announced last week, was an act of political interference “designed to intimidate the ABC and mute its role as this country’s most trusted source of public-interest journalism”.
She said that in October, the ABC Board initiated its own independent review of the ABC’s complaints system – in line with its legal responsibilities under the Australian Broadcasting Corporation Act 1983.
“Under Section 8 of the Act, the ABC Board has the legal responsibility for developing codes of practice relating to programming matters and to ensure that the gathering and presentation by the Corporation of news and information is accurate and impartial,” Ms Buttrose said.
“The fact that these powers are given to the Board, not to the Government of the day, is a key pillar of the ABC’s operational independence,” she said.
“If politicians determine the operation of the national broadcaster’s complaints system, they can influence what is reported by the ABC.”
Ms Buttrose said the independent review would be rigorous and thorough and its findings were expected to be released in April.
“Once again, an elected representative has chosen to threaten the ABC’s independence at the expense of the integrity of this irreplaceable public service,” she said.
“Any incursion of this kind into the ABC’s independence should be seen by Australians for what it is: an attempt to weaken the community’s trust in the public broadcaster.”
Ms Buttrose said politicians, like all citizens, were welcome to criticise anything published by the ABC that they found wrong or objectionable, but they could not be allowed to tell the ABC what it may or may not publish.
She acknowledged that the Senate Committee performed a vital role in ensuring transparency and accountability, however, Ms Buttrose said it was regrettable that the Committee was seeking to undertake a task that was already underway and was the legal responsibility of the ABC Board.
“When Parliament resumes later this month, I respectfully ask the Senate to act to defend the independence of the ABC, as Australia’s national broadcaster, by passing a motion to terminate or suspend this inquiry until the independent process commissioned by the ABC Board has been completed,” Ms Buttrose said.
