Extract from The Guardian
Joel Fitzgibbon describes prime minister’s letter to the ABC chairman
as the ‘greatest attack on the independence of the public broadcaster
in its history’
Labor has accused the government of censorship over its desire to move ABC’s Q&A program to a separate division.
Tony Abbott has banned government ministers from appearing on Q&A but has written to ABC chairman James Spigelman to say that the ban would be lifted if the broadcaster shifted the show from the television division into the news and current affairs department.
Joel Fitzgibbon, Labor’s agriculture spokesman, said the prime minister’s letter was the “greatest attack on the independence of the public broadcaster in its history”.
Fitzgibbon told ABC’s Insiders program on Sunday: “We now have the prime minister reaching in and telling the board how to run the company and run its editorial line. It’s censorship. It’s censorship because Tony Abbott doesn’t like what Q&A produces in terms of comment.”
The lengthening saga over Q&A began in June when former terrorism suspect Zaky Mallah was allowed to speak from the audience to the panel.
Abbott has said Mallah’s appearance was “indefensible”. The ABC has admitted it was an “error of judgment”, has launched an inquiry and issued a formal warning to the show’s executive producer, Peter McEvoy.
Spigelman wrote to Abbott to say the idea of moving Q&A to a new division has “merit”, prompting the prime minister to reply, backing the proposal.
Fitzgibbon said if the ABC follows through with the move, it would look like the broadcaster had been “hammered into submission by the prime minister”.
The agriculture minister, Barnaby Joyce, was due to appear on Q&A last week, only to comply with Abbott’s demand that he pull out. Q&A has confirmed that the communications minister, Malcolm Turnbull, who was due to appear on the show on Monday, has also withdrawn his participation.
The prime minister’s imposition of a ministerial ban on Q&A hasn’t been universally supported by his colleagues.
Andrew Robb, the trade minister, said there should be a “minimum of that sort of interference or instruction” when asked about the Q&A issue.
“I’m never keen on boycotts of media,” Robb told Sky News on Sunday.
However, in a apparent endorsement of Abbott’s contention that Q&A acted like a “lefty lynch mob”, Robb added: “The weekly choosing of issues are of the left, almost always. It’s a forum for so-called progressive elements in our community. I think most people know that. It has over the years reflected the disposition of the ABC.”
Robb said there was better balance in coverage in the ABC’s rural radio services and that “there are elements of the ABC that have very strong support from the Coalition”.
Former Liberal leader John Hewson said despite the ABC making a mistake over Mallah, Q&A shouldn’t be boycotted.
“I think you get few opportunities in politics to get your message across, and Q&A is one of them,” Hewson told the ABC. “We can debate whether it is biased or not. All that is largely irrelevant, quite frankly.”
Fitzgibbon said that Abbott’s intervention into Q&A, as well as his use of royal commissions and his negative view of windfarms and gay marriage showed the prime minister is “a very real threat to the Australian way of life”.
“This guy is out of control,” Fitzgibbon added.
Tony Abbott has banned government ministers from appearing on Q&A but has written to ABC chairman James Spigelman to say that the ban would be lifted if the broadcaster shifted the show from the television division into the news and current affairs department.
Joel Fitzgibbon, Labor’s agriculture spokesman, said the prime minister’s letter was the “greatest attack on the independence of the public broadcaster in its history”.
Fitzgibbon told ABC’s Insiders program on Sunday: “We now have the prime minister reaching in and telling the board how to run the company and run its editorial line. It’s censorship. It’s censorship because Tony Abbott doesn’t like what Q&A produces in terms of comment.”
The lengthening saga over Q&A began in June when former terrorism suspect Zaky Mallah was allowed to speak from the audience to the panel.
Abbott has said Mallah’s appearance was “indefensible”. The ABC has admitted it was an “error of judgment”, has launched an inquiry and issued a formal warning to the show’s executive producer, Peter McEvoy.
Spigelman wrote to Abbott to say the idea of moving Q&A to a new division has “merit”, prompting the prime minister to reply, backing the proposal.
Fitzgibbon said if the ABC follows through with the move, it would look like the broadcaster had been “hammered into submission by the prime minister”.
The agriculture minister, Barnaby Joyce, was due to appear on Q&A last week, only to comply with Abbott’s demand that he pull out. Q&A has confirmed that the communications minister, Malcolm Turnbull, who was due to appear on the show on Monday, has also withdrawn his participation.
The prime minister’s imposition of a ministerial ban on Q&A hasn’t been universally supported by his colleagues.
Andrew Robb, the trade minister, said there should be a “minimum of that sort of interference or instruction” when asked about the Q&A issue.
“I’m never keen on boycotts of media,” Robb told Sky News on Sunday.
However, in a apparent endorsement of Abbott’s contention that Q&A acted like a “lefty lynch mob”, Robb added: “The weekly choosing of issues are of the left, almost always. It’s a forum for so-called progressive elements in our community. I think most people know that. It has over the years reflected the disposition of the ABC.”
Robb said there was better balance in coverage in the ABC’s rural radio services and that “there are elements of the ABC that have very strong support from the Coalition”.
Former Liberal leader John Hewson said despite the ABC making a mistake over Mallah, Q&A shouldn’t be boycotted.
“I think you get few opportunities in politics to get your message across, and Q&A is one of them,” Hewson told the ABC. “We can debate whether it is biased or not. All that is largely irrelevant, quite frankly.”
Fitzgibbon said that Abbott’s intervention into Q&A, as well as his use of royal commissions and his negative view of windfarms and gay marriage showed the prime minister is “a very real threat to the Australian way of life”.
“This guy is out of control,” Fitzgibbon added.
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