The politics behind the competitive neutrality inquiry into ABC and SBS
As the competitive neutrality inquiry looms large, Denis Muller reveals the politics behind Hanson’s revenge plot in this crossposting from The Conversation.
Last September, One Nation leader Pauline Hanson made a deal with Malcolm Turnbull’s government: You give me an inquiry into the ABC and I’ll support the changes you want to make to media ownership laws.
The government agreed to do this in the form of an inquiry into the ABC’s competitive neutrality – and broadened it to include SBS.
It was clear at the time this had the potential to do real damage to the national broadcaster.
No Denis, “The reason” is because former Managing Director Mark Scott spent ten years turning the Australian BROADCASTING Corporation into, in his words a “news organisation” instead. Is it surprising then that the inquiry does the same?
Excellent thing Pauline Hanson got done. The ABC/SBS has driven into services that the Commercial TV networks have broadcast in, but without the necessity to deliver a profit. That’s the killer. . It is hoped that the ABC/SBS, in overseas program buying become subject to a form of syphoning rule, that acquired programs are only those that the FTA networks have rejected. This ensures that no taxpayers money is spent on product that otherwise would be paid for by FTA networks and their advertisers.
In localism, the big gap is in regional news, 35% of the population, only 22% of FTA revenues and this smaller amount, allowing less than 10% of FTA network news ad current affairs expenditure -the 35/22/10 case(all ACMA or FTA figures). The ABC and SBS should be functionally separated into regional and metropolitan organisations with separate budgets and HQ locations (say Toowoomba and Albury for ABC and SBS respectively).
From any objective viewpoint the ABC/SBS has driven commercial networks out of Sunday morning, and late night news, have counteracted any FTA initiatives that might allow FTA to profitability exploit such audiences for news and current affairs.
Pauline is right, the ABC/ SBS swamp these political discourse categories because that is the politically biased agenda of the ABC/SBS. Drive out non left wing opinion.
A good Inquiry and long overdue. If people want ABC/SBS views and programming they should pay for it directly. Not from my tax money, but their own.
The SBS “HQ” is in fact the whole of SBS, apart from one small building in Federation Square that houses its Melbourne office. You express concern for your tax money. Do you have any idea of the cost of transferring the whole of SBS to Albury? Likewise, do you have any idea of the quantity of television production that goes on around the world? If SBS had to wait until all the programs it was interested in had been rejected by Australian commercial television (!), it would be waiting forever.
Thank God for Pauline. Aunty has outstayed her welcome.
What chance does this review have if they accept the ACMA data that 18-34 spend just 3.8 hours a week watching FTA television.
There is your bias right there writ large.