Life in Australia without the ABC would be unimaginable for a great many people – including nearly all its most trenchant critics.
The past couple of years has seen heightened fear that the Government wants to destroy the ABC, or at least reduce its influence or change what some have seen as its endemic left-wing pro-Labor bias. That fear was generated by key appointments to the ABC board of people seen to be close to the Howard Government most recently that of Jonathan Shier as managing director. That has been coupled with plans for more out-sourcing and the retrenchment or non-renewal of several key ABC figures and accusations that extra money has been spent on senior management at the expense of programs.
Mr Shier addressed the National Press Club yesterday. He certainly carved out a vision for the ABC – one that neither competes nor apes the commercials. Rather it was vision of the ABC playing a critical part in Australian national life in a new media world.
He made a sensible distinction between a desire for the ABC to be entrepreneurial and businesslike, without being commercial. “”Commercial” meant having money-making as the central aim. Being entrepreneurial and businesslike was getting value for money in pursuing social aims. Mr Shier expressly rejected any aim to dumb-down or chase ratings.
Mr Shier expressed a desire to promote diversity and an Australian identity (cultural sovereignty) in programing and he was keen on decentralising, so that the ABC would express wider views than just those from Sydney. (He could start with a local Canberra television news service.) He also expressed a vision for the ABC in providing educational on-demand programs for school and general audiences, making the best use of digital technology.
Mr Shier made little reference to the question of “”left-wing” bias. That was welcome. It is time ABC staff, management and the Government went beyond it, too. The Coalition Government has been far too sensitive for its own good on the question. ABC news and current affairs has a role in testing governments – of whatever complexion. Other programs – and the arts in general — are there to innovate and challenge accepted views. That does not mean the ABC cheers for one side of politics, helps that side kick goals and helps it defeat the other side. Equally it could be said that the ABC has always resisted dumbing down for the mass market. Inevitably, that has meant appealing more an audience that is more intellectual and affluent – and affluence correlates with voting for the Coalition. The ABC appeals to the silvertails and the big-end of town.
The critical matters facing the ABC now are not whether it is left-wing, right-wing or pro-Labor or pro-Coalition. Rather, Government (of whatever complexion) must recognise the role the ABC plays in Australian life – a role that commercial broadcasters cannot fill. And it must fund the ABC to fulfill that role and it must create a technological environment to allow the ABC to get the best out of its programming for the people of Australia.
On those two counts this Government especially (and recent Governments before it) have failed. The ABC spends a quarter per capita as the BBC which in turn is well behind countries like Denmark. The Government must overcome its ideological abhorrence of admitting a special role for a public institution. Further, it must change its digital spectrum regime to allow the ABC to make better use of the spectrum — so it can broadcast four standard-definition-digital channels instead of burning up nearly all its spectrum (as the Government insists) on one high-definition channel.
Without those changes, Mr Shier’s words yesterday’s were pious hopes. And, even with the money and better spectrum rules, the public will wait to see how Mr Shier’s words translate into results before passing judgment.