ABC chair Ita Buttrose has doubled down on her claim of political interference over a federal government decision to launch a Senate inquiry into the way the broadcaster handles complaints from the public.
On Thursday Liberal senator Andrew Bragg, chair of the Senate standing committee on environment and communications, announced the inquiry into the national broadcaster and the SBS.
“I don’t think there is anything regular about the Senate inquiry and the way Senator Bragg has engineered it,” she told Radio National this morning.
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“I think we’re probably the most accountable institution in Australia, having been subjected to so many numerous inquiries and reviews – but this matter is completely different.”
She noted ABC is usually subject to inquiries from the references committee, not the legislative committees.
In addition, the ABC is already conducting its own external review into its complaints handling process, and she said the government should wait for the outcome of that.
“Senator Bragg has chosen to use the device of the legislation committee, where the government has a majority, to force an inquiry into the ABC’s complaints handling.
“That’s unlike the references committee, which requires approval by the Senate – the government doesn’t control the numbers there. So what we have here really is a partisan political exercise under the guise of using the Senate’s legislation committee, for government senators to undermine the ABCs independence. There’s no other way that I can take this.”
Ms Buttrose said the relationship between the ABC and the government is not in good shape.
“I think it is strained and it’s a matter that concerns me very much. And I would wish we had a much better relationship with the government,” she said.
“The role the ABC players is vital in exposing situations that need to be corrected … We are not the enemy.”
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