With regard to governance the media have two key roles:

1. To shine a light in dark places, especially on the activities of  powerful individuals and institutions.  Governments and oppositions, business leaders and union officials, churches, charities and lobbyists can all influence our lives.

2. To provide the equivalent of a town square were communities can discuss, debate, celebrate  and participate in cultural expression.

The Australian broadcast media are divided into three distinct sectors – commercial, community and public.  Initially each had a a different form of funding, and a different systemof governance. 

While each sector had its own distinct character, this guaranteed a degree of diversity.  Commercial broadcasters might be subject to the influence of a powerful proprietor, or a powerful sponsor, but they were less likely to be influcned by government.   While public  broadcasters might be subject to  pressure from politicians, they were not initially subject to influences from advertisers.  Similarly, community broadcasters were orginally free of advertising and government funding.

Today diversity has morphed into convergence. Advertisers now exert considerable influence over commercial radio, the SBS and community broadcasters. There is  potential for advertising to impact on the ABC’s internet output.

While the ABC is not permitted to broadcast advertisements on  radio or television, it can run advertisments on its websites.  So far the ABC has chosen not to broadcast advertisements on its mainstream “ABC branded” websites, but it has run advertisements on  subsidiary websites such as the Countdown site, which does not carry the ABC logo.

Friends of the ABC (SA) Inc submits that the failure to prohibit advertising on the internet when the ABC Act was first drafted was simply because  the public internet did not exist at that time, and recommends that the ABC Act be amended to prohibit advertising on ABC websites, whether they carry the ABC logo or not.

However we congratulate the Rudd government on its promise to reform the process by which appointments are made to the ABC board (and a range of similar bodies).  We understand that this will be based on the “Nolan Rules” developed in the United Kingdom and will involve the development and publication of selection criteria and public advertisement of vacancies.  A short list will be developed by an independent panel, and a final appointment made by the  minister.    However if the minister declines to make a selection from the short list, he will be obliged to provide a public explanation. This is consistent with the Westminister system.

While this process will not necessarily guarantee good appointments, it will lead to more open government.  The restoration of the ABC’s Staff Elected Director is also likely to bring relevant experience, and additional diversity, to the ABC board.

The ABC has had a strong reputation for educational programs, programs for children and for Australian television drama.  The ABC’s capaicity to continue this tradition has been severely hampered by a lack of funding.  This will be the subject of a separate submission under another topic.