Contemporary politics,local and international current affairs, science, music and extracts from the Queensland Newspaper "THE WORKER" documenting the proud history of the Labour Movement.
MAHATMA GANDHI ~ Truth never damages a cause that is just.
Election posters for Fiona Kotvojs beside the Monaro highway. The
Liberal candidate for Eden Monaro has said fuel loads are the only
factor governments can address to tackle bushfires.
Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian
Governments cannot address heat as a cause of bushfires so must focus
on managing fuel loads instead, the Liberal candidate for Eden-Monaro,
Fiona Kotvojs, has argued in a submission to the bushfire royal
commission.
Kotvojs, who has a history of downplaying the human contribution to global heating, also argued that bushfire management should be the sole responsibility of state governments, despite Scott Morrison accepting during the summer bushfires the public expects the federal government to play a greater role.
Kotvojs and her husband, Alan Burdon, made the submission in April, just nine days before the resignation of former Labor MP Mike Kelly set up the Eden Monaro byelection.
Kotvojs is contesting the poll on Saturday against Labor’s candidate,
Bega mayor Kristy McBain, and the Nationals’ Trevor Hicks, as the
Coalition aims for a once-in-a-century win for a government in a
byelection.
In the submission, Kotvojs and Burdon state that fire “is caused by three factors, fuel, oxygen, and heat”.
“In working to minimise the likelihood of bushfires occurring and
increasing the likelihood of being able to manage and defeat those that
do occur, there is only one of these three factors that can be
addressed; fuel load,” they said.
The pair said fuel load was the “only one issue” for them and that “unless this is addressed, everything else is meaningless”.
The terms of reference
of the royal commission state that the “changing global climate carries
risks for the Australian environment and Australia’s ability to
prevent, mitigate and respond to bushfires and other natural disasters”.
Kotvojs has previously said that “solar activity” is the primary driver of climate change, that it’s a “myth” it increases cyclones and that the risk to Pacific nations is overstated.
Earlier in June, Kotvojs told Guardian Australia she stood by those
statements but accepted that “humans contribute to [the] changing
climate” and “we need to have a reduction in emissions”.
The submission does not explain why – given the human-induced nature
of global heating – a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions would not
help reduce the heat which is a key factor in the severity of bushfires.
Morrison has said there is no direct link between Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions and particular fire events. The natural disasters minister, David Littleproud, said in September he did not know if climate change was man-made, before reversing his position.
Kotvojs and Burdon argued there is “a lack of public clarity as to
the different roles and responsibilities of federal and state
governments” in the management of natural disasters.
“This creates confusion among the public and led to a lack of
confidence in the government’s ability to effectively lead and manage
the emergency.”
Kotvojs and Burdon said it should be up to state and territory fire
services to decide “whether a single federal body/agency is required” to
handle bushfires.
But in order to minimise the possibility of a “blame game”, the pair
recommended that “responsibility for preparation and response to
bushfires should be with the same level of government”.
“Hitherto, even the worst fires have tended to be contained to one or
two states, with the peak occurring during one or two significant days.
“In these situations, from our perspective, it makes most sense for
management of bushfires to be as close to the fires as possible.”
“Therefore we believe that the preparation for and response to
bushfires should remain the sole responsibility of state authorities.”
The pair said they saw “no value” in moving the responsibility for
running and financing fire services to the federal government, although
it could provide “emergency funding in special circumstances” to be
administered at the state level.
Expanding federal power over natural disaster management
is a key focus of the royal commission due to what Morrison called a
“community expectation now that there be a more direct ability for the
commonwealth, particularly through the Australian defence forces, to be
able to take action”.
Kotvojs and Burdon also complained that many of the businesses
involved in the clean up in Bega Valley and Eurobodalla “are from Sydney
and do not employ people locally”, hampering local economic recovery.
Scores of the current workforce will be retained, but there will be job losses.(ABC News)
The future of the Australian Associated Press (AAP) newswire has been assured with the inking of a sale to new owners who say they are driven by a desire to retain Australian media diversity.
Key points:
The new-look AAP will be directed by chief executive Emma Cowdroy and editor Andrew Drummond
It will continue to produce breaking and world news content, sport, court and political reporting, plus photography and a FactCheck service
Changes to the business are expected to be finalised by July 31
A consortium of philanthropists and investors on Monday finalised a deal with current shareholders, including Nine and News Corp, to purchase AAP, which has been operating for more than 85 years.
The group said in a statement of its motivation to purchase the business that it had, "a desire to protect media diversity in Australia through ensuring the long-term sustainability of the AAP newswire and its provision of independent, quality journalism on issues that should matter to all Australians".
The consortium, led by Nick Harrington, is made up of a number of people including philanthropist John McKinnon, and has been supported by senior media executive Peter Tonagh.
The new-look AAP, directed by chief executive Emma Cowdroy and editor Andrew Drummond, will continue to produce content including breaking and world news, sport, court and political reporting, plus photography and a FactCheck service.
The new owners have committed to retain scores of the current AAP workforce, but there will be job losses. Changes to the business are expected to be finalised ahead of settlement on July 31.
Ms Cowdroy, who has previously worked as AAP's senior legal counsel, championed news of the sale.
"Fast, factual reporting, objective news and geographical reach to all corners of Australia, is our DNA."
Other parts of the AAP Group will be retained by the current shareholders. This includes Medianet, Mediaverse, AAP Directories, Pagemasters and Racing operations.
Outgoing AAP chairman Campbell Reid, on behalf of the board, paid tribute to the professionalism of staff over recent months.
"You have all stayed true to the spirit that the news is published no matter what, and this stands the newswire in great stead as it begins its next chapter. The board wishes the new team every success," he said.
The fund is intended for use in preparing for natural disasters.(Supplied: Queensland Fire and Emergency Service)
An annual fund worth $50 million, to be used to lessen the impact of natural disasters, remains untouched by the Federal Government on the last day of the financial year.
Key points:
The $50 million natural disaster mitigation fund was set up this year but has not been put to use
Labor says it is "negligent" that the money has not been used to prepare for disasters
The Government says it has been using other funds to achieve the same purpose.
Labor secured the money for prevention measures as part of a deal with the Morrison Government to set up the $4 billion Emergency Response Fund at the end of last year.
But the $50 million for mitigation and $150 million for recovery assistance have not been used.
Shadow Minister for Emergency Management Murray Watt said Labor was surprised the money had not been spent.
"I just don't think it is good enough for the Government to be sitting on these funds."
Senator Watt said the money could have been used for firebreaks, cyclone shelters and flood levees.
"I think there are many people in our regions who are threatened by fires, by cyclones, by floods who could give you a list of projects right now that this money should be spent on," he said.
Emergency Management Australia, an agency within the Home Affairs Department, manages the funding and provided a statement to the ABC confirming it had not spent the money and it was yet to be committed to any projects.
"No engagement on expenditure has occurred," the spokesperson said.
But EMA pointed to much larger funding pool shared between the Federal Government and the states and territories, arguing it was being used first.
"The Government, in conjunction with state and territory governments, recently confirmed the investment of over $260 million over five years from 2019–20 to deliver disaster risk reduction initiatives at the national, state and local levels through the National Partnership Agreement on Disaster Risk Reduction," the statement said.
The spokesperson maintained the department was not obligated to spend the funds every year.
"While the fund is not intended to be drawn on every severe weather season, nor is it the Australian Government's sole avenue to support disaster resilience and risk reduction, the Government may choose to draw upon the fund if there is clear evidence that existing programs are insufficient," the statement said.
Emergency Management Australia has confirmed that the unspent money remains in the fund's investment account.
The Natural Disaster Royal Commission is expected to include recommendations for bushfire mitigation measures when it hands over its report at the end of August.
We have had the solutions to ending our deaths for almost three decades. Join us
Cheryl Axleby and Nerita Waight
We are dying because governments have ignored the recommendations from the royal commission into Aboriginal deaths in custody.
Photograph: Paul Kane/Getty Images
This
could be a pivotal moment in Australian history – but it’s up to you.
As CEOs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services we are
not tired of telling the truth about injustice, we are tired of people
not listening. People are listening now, even as the state sanctioned
violence against our people continues.
As Aboriginal women, seeing the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor our stomachs knotted: it’s happened again.
Aboriginal people cannot watch this footage without seeing ourselves. George Floyd is David Dungay Jnr, who also died after crying out “I can’t breathe” while being pushed down to the ground by correctional officers. He’s Wayne Fella Morrison and Nathan Reynolds who also couldn’t breathe. He’s Ms Dhu, Aunty Tanya Day and all of the 437 black deaths in custody since 1991. That’s one death every three weeks for 29 years.
It took the brutal deaths of black people in the USA for Australia to pay attention to what was occurring in their own backyard.
Already this month we’ve seen an Aboriginal man repeatedly tasered by a police officer even while he wasn’t resisting arrest, an Aboriginal boy kicked to the ground in Surry Hills and an Aboriginal man brutally detained in South Australia.
It
is preposterous that there have been 437 deaths of our people in
custody without a single officer or authority held criminally liable.
Hundreds of family members have been left behind, without justice, only
to be forced back to their grief after they hear of another preventable
death on the news.
There is no peace without justice and there is no justice without truth telling.
The truth is that we are dying because governments have ignored the
recommendations from the royal commission into Aboriginal deaths in
custody. Politicians have had the answers to end black deaths in custody
for 29 years but have chosen inaction. There have been over 400
inquiries into ending our over-imprisonment and the injustices we face
in the legal system. The government hasn’t even provided a response to
the most recent review by the Australian Law Reform Commission. These
recommendations must be urgently implemented in partnership with the
families left behind after a death in custody.
"Instead of building prisons we need to build futures by providing excellent public hospitals, schools, and homes"
The truth is the police’s role as first responders is often harmful
or fatal for our people. We must hold police, prisons and authorities
accountable and criminally liable for our deaths, future and historic.
We must also end the perverse conflict of interest that arises when
authorities like police and corrections officers investigate themselves.
The truth is we live oppressed by our racist legal system. Low-level
offences like public drunkenness contribute to our mass imprisonment and
deaths. All low-level offences that are used to target and over-police
our people must be repealed.
The truth is that we are more likely to die in custody because we are
over-imprisoned. Despite being only 2% of the population, we are 28% of
the adult prison population, no right-thinking person can allow this to
continue.
Instead of building prisons we need to build futures by providing
excellent public hospitals, schools, and homes. Experiencing
homelessness is a key contributor to our people being criminalised,
social housing waiting lists can be decades long. We need to strengthen
our income support systems, provide culturally safe support for our
people, particularly our women fleeing family violence, and provide
strong healing programs that connect our people back to country and
culture.
The truth is that in Australia children as young as 10 can be
imprisoned. Our kids are overrepresented in children’s prison and the
evidence shows once they’re in, it’s a life sentence. All governments
need to raise the age of criminal responsibility to at least 14 and
ensure that no person under 16 is ever put in a prison.
We are strong, despite the oppressive weight of the legal system
crushing our lives. We rise for our ancestors, those killed, our kids
and for their kids.
We have had the solutions to ending our deaths for almost three
decades. Join us, contact your MPs, talk to your family and friends.
Tell them that this is the moment to create real, systemic and lasting
change. If this is going to be a pivotal moment in our history, we need
to go beyond the empty gestures of the past.
Australia, do not let us down. Our lives depend on it.
Cheryl Axleby is chief executive of the Aboriginal Legal Rights
Movement of South Australia and co-chair of the National Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander Legal Services. Nerita Waight is chief executive
of the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service and co-chair of the National
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services
The Grattan Institute says producing steel with near-zero emissions in
Australia could ‘resolve the great climate conundrum that has stretched
our political fabric for more than a decade’.
Photograph: Dean Lewins/AAP
A new Australian green steel industry could create tens of thousands
of jobs in regional areas reliant on coalmining, particularly in central
Queensland and the Hunter Valley, giving them a future as demand for carbon-intensive goods falls.
That is the conclusion of a report
by the Grattan Institute, a thinktank linked to the University of
Melbourne, which examined claims Australia has the potential to become a
green energy “superpower”.
Assessing the viability of clean manufacturing possibilities, the institute found green steel made with renewable hydrogen
could become a multibillion-dollar export industry employing 25,000
people in regions likely to be hardest hit by global steps to cut
greenhouse gas emissions.
Tony Wood, the institute’s energy program director, said Australia
had not typically been good at globally competitive manufacturing,
succeeding instead at “digging stuff out of the ground”, but he said the
rapid fall in the cost of solar and wind energy and the country’s world-leading clean energy resources was a “fundamentally significant change”.
“We have the potential for competitive renewable energy to drive
manufacturing in a way in which we wouldn’t have imagined not long ago,”
Wood said. “If we get this right, we will resolve the great climate
conundrum that has stretched our political fabric for more than a
decade.”
Options
for diversifying Australia’s fossil fuel-intensive energy industries as
the globe aims to cut emissions include exporting renewable energy,
either as electricity by sub-sea cable or as hydrogen, and developing
low-emissions commodities, such as metals, chemicals or biofuels.
Rather than exporting renewable hydrogen, the analysis found the most
economically viable path appeared to be to use it within Australia to
produce steel with near-zero emissions. “Green steel” is created using
hydrogen to trigger a chemical reaction with the oxygen in iron ore to
create iron metal and water. The metal is then refined and cast into
steel.
Hydrogen-based direct reduction of iron ore is not yet commercial,
but the report says it is based on a proven technology involving gas.
Pilot plants are being built or planned in Germany and Sweden, where steelmaker SSAB recently has set a target of green steel production by 2026,
a decade earlier than was previously considered possible. German
manufacturer Thyssenkrupp made headlines in November when it
demonstrated that a steel blast furnace could in part run on hydrogen.
A future for carbon workers
The
institute’s report focuses on the future of “carbon workers” – people
and communities in fossil fuel-reliant industries whose jobs will be
threatened by global steps to tackle the climate crisis to meet the
goals of the Paris agreement.
There are nearly 100,000 carbon workers in Australia, 55,000 of them
in “carbon-intensive regions” likely to face more acute social and
economic challenges than people in major cities. More than 23,000 live
in central Queensland, where they make up 15% of the workforce, mostly
mining coal. Another 16,300 are in the Hunter Valley.
The report says carbon-intensive electorates recorded bigger swings
than average to the Coalition at the 2019 federal election, when it was
emphasising it would do less to combat the climate crisis than Labor.
While it may have helped it last year, it says the Morrison government’s
approach of supporting only modest climate targets cannot protect jobs in the face of global climate action, and does not help the country seize new low-carbon opportunities.
Wood and co-authors Guy Dundas and James Ha conclude this stance –
stressing the short-term costs for those affected by climate policy
while ignoring the cost of inaction – ultimately works against
Australia’s national interest. It says both Coalition
and Labor leaders have claimed Australia should and will continue to
export fossil fuel products for decades while committed to the Paris
agreement. In reality, the future for coal, gas, oil and products
created with them was much less certain.
“Australian governments need to be honest with carbon workers: their
attempts to protect carbon jobs from global forces will ultimately
fail,” the report says.
“You don’t have to be a card-carrying climate activist to think this
is a good idea. You just have to be someone making an assessment about
risk,” Wood added. “Our practical plan could be a win-win-win. It would
create a new export industry, support carbon workers and cut emissions.”
Call for government support
The report is published as global institutions, industry groups, investors and civil society leaders
call on governments to use stimulus programs needed to drive the
economic recovery from Covid-19 to also address the climate crisis. Wood
said a green steel industry would take time to develop, but unlike
other options being considered was an area in which Australia had a
competitive advantage.
Currently, Australia mostly ships the raw iron ore and metallurgical
coal used in steel production to Asian countries, where it is processed.
But the institute found Australia was likely to have a cost advantage
in manufacturing iron metal, and possibly refined steel, in a
low-emissions world due to its access to cheap clean energy and the high
cost of shipping hydrogen.
Creating a green steel manufacturing industry at a global scale would
demand big industrial workforces, such as those found in coalmining
regions in central Queensland and New South Wales. The report says lower
labour-costs meant it would be cheaper to make green steel in those
places than in the Pilbara in Western Australia, even once shipping iron
ore from the west to east coast was factored in.
It says investment would need to come from the private sector, but
calls on the federal government to fund a low-emissions steel “flagship”
program to build local skills and capability over the next decade,
possibly by using low-cost gas from WA to make steel with lower
emissions as green steel developed, or by helping existing steel plants
at Port Kembla and Whyalla modernise and survive.
Other government support could include federal funding for studies
into the geological potential for hydrogen storage and, at a state and
local level, programs to help workers retrain.
Why not just export hydrogen?
There has been optimism about the possibility of exporting hydrogen,
but the report says its prospects are uncertain, in part because it is
hard to transport. It must either be liquefied by cooling it to -253C or
converted into a chemical such as ammonia.
For exports to be viable, Australian hydrogen would need to be far
cheaper than from other countries. The report says while an industry may
develop, “the uncertainties mean that it is unlikely to be Australia’s
most significant clean energy opportunity”.
In terms of jobs, there were likely to be far more if Australia used
its cheap clean energy to produce commodities for export than if it just
sent renewable energy offshore. Manufacturing is far more
labour-intensive than electricity generation, and its jobs generally
better paid.
The report says green steel is likely to cost more than fossil fuel
steel for the foreseeable future, but if the cost of renewable hydrogen
was to reach US$2 a kilogram it would add only 1% to the cost of a
typical car or house, and 0.5% to a railway or road.
It said there were also attractive, but probably smaller,
opportunities in creating a sustainable biofuels industry and, to a
lesser extent, development in renewable ammonia and exporting
electricity via sub-sea cables, as proposed by the $20bn Sun Cable
project backed by billionaires Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest and Mike
Cannon-Brookes, which hopes to sell solar energy from the Northern Territory to Singapore.
It said the federal government should consider requiring a share of
domestic aviation fuel come from non-food biofuel sources, saying it
could create hundreds of jobs in Collie, Portland and the Latrobe
Valley.
“These opportunities are not certain and will generally rely on
either international policies to reduce emissions, or customers being
willing to pay a ‘green premium,” the report says. “But these
opportunities are credible, particularly if the world moves away from
fossil fuels.” Partnering with competitors
Tennant Reed, from the Australian Industry Group, said the report did
a great job fleshing out the abstract idea of the advantages Australia
may have in a clean energy world, and laying the foundations for future
policy and development work. He said people had different views of where
future opportunities would lie, with some excited by exporting bulk
hydrogen, others aluminium, others steel, but the report illustrated how
big the latter opportunity could be.
He said the Grattan Institute envisaged a huge increase in
Australia’s share of global steel production, a shift that would not be
easy in a world in which countries may look to increase domestic
manufacturing. It would require working closely with other nations. “It
will be a lot harder if we are just trying to cut these countries and
their companies out of the global steel industry rather than partnering
with them,” Reed said.
The energy and emissions reduction minister, Angus Taylor, did not
mention steel specifically when asked for his response to the report,
but said clean commodities made with hydrogen would help the country
become a world leader in that industry. He said the government had committed $370m to developing it through the Clean Energy Finance Corporation and the Australian Renewable Energy.
Labor’s
climate change and energy spokesman, Mark Butler, said the report
showed the jobs and industry benefits of embracing a clean energy
future, and accused the prime minister, Scott Morrison, of actively
opposing going in that direction.
“A Covid-19 recovery plan which brings forward investment in new
renewable projects like green hydrogen will create tens of thousands of
new jobs, stimulate regional economies and deliver cheaper power
prices,” he said.
A home rooftop solar system in Adelaide. A report by Beyond Zero
Emissions has found hastening the shift to zero greenhouse gas emissions
could help Australia recover from the recession.
Photograph: David Mariuz/AAP
Hundreds of thousands of jobs could be created in Australia by
hurrying the shift to zero greenhouse gas emissions, a study backed by
business and investment leaders has found.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates 835,000 jobs have been lost since the coronavirus pandemic shutdown began in March.
A report by Beyond Zero Emissions, an energy and climate change
thinktank, says practical projects to decarbonise the economy could
create 1.78m “job years” over the next five years – on average, 355,000
people in work each year – while modernising Australian industry.
Called the “million jobs plan”, it says further stimulus measures
needed to fight the Covid-19 recession are “a unique opportunity to lay
the foundations for a globally competitive Australian economy fit for 21st century challenges”.
The report focuses on proposals it says are already being planned and
could create jobs by accelerating private and public investment in renewable energy, clean buildings,
clean transport, manufacturing and land use that will happen in the
years ahead anyway. Benefits would include improved air quality and new
employment in regional areas.
Eytan Lenko, Beyond Zero Emissions’ interim chief executive, said the
group had brought together investment, business and industry leaders to
scope the best clean solutions that would drive productivity and
growth.
“No one thought 2020 would turn out the way it has. We now have a
unique opportunity to seize this moment, to retool, reskill, and rebuild
our battered economy to set us up for future generations,” he said.
The
plan would require hundreds of billions of dollars in investment. It
says clean energy investors have indicated their willingness to spend on
this scale, pointing to the more than $100bn of existing renewable
energy projects proposed but yet to be built.
The report says Australia risks missing out on some of these
opportunities, and others in electric transport, zero-carbon
manufacturing and green steel,
unless governments deliver policy certainty and help create an
environment that encourages large clean investment deals. Reserve Bank
research found the number of large-scale renewable energy projects
reaching commencement fell about 50% last year after a record-setting 2018.
Beyond Zero Emissions says governments also have a role to play in
direct investment in, for example, urgent transmission line projects to
new renewable energy zones, the construction of energy-efficient social housing, and the introduction and expansion of electric buses and trains.
“Such projects represent excellent value for taxpayers,” the report
says. “New transmission infrastructure will unlock billions of private
investment in renewable energy. More social housing means less
homelessness and fewer resources expended on dealing with the problems
of homelessness. Electric public transport leads to better air quality,
and fewer health problems linked to pollution.”
It also calls for governments to stimulate private spending by
underwriting renewable energy industrial zones, guaranteeing developers a
minimum price for their clean energy and using record low interest
rates to to help kickstart new business models. They could include
allowing homeowners to pay for home energy retrofits over time, without a
large upfront cost, using a similar model employed in mobile phone
contracts.
Significant figures from across the community, including business leaders, unions and the welfare sector, are pushing for a green recovery from the Covid-19 crisis. Project advisers on the Beyond Zero Emissions plan included former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull and economist Ross Garnaut.
Speakers at the Monday launch event include software billionaire and
philanthropist Mike Cannon-Brookes, the former UN climate chief
Christiana Figueres and Deanne Stewart, chief executive of First State
Super.
In a statement, Cannon-Brookes said the plan showed the way to an
economic recovery that would set up for the country for decades to come.
“There is no doubt that the million jobs plan is bold, but importantly
it’s also doable,” he said.
Atlassian co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes. Photograph: Brook Mitchell/Getty Images
The Beyond Zero Emissions report estimates there would be nearly
200,000 jobs in renewable energy, building and transport construction
and more than 200,000 ongoing positions across all sectors measured. It
does not estimate the number of indirect jobs that be created to support
the direct jobs.
Steps in the plan include:
Creating a “net zero energy home” standard that would require
covered buildings to generate as much energy as they consume, and
setting a national target to eliminate emissions from the buildings
sector.
Creating renewable energy industrial zones in which
energy-intensive manufacturers can access renewable energy at a low
fixed cost.
Using government procurement policy to prioritise locally
manufactured products built using low-emissions technology, and
introducing a zero carbon industry strategy that could help establish
renewables-powered industry such as hydrogen and green steel.
Rolling out 13,000 electric buses, replacing 30% of the existing bus fleet, and electrify 3,000km of rail track over five years.
Building or improving 5,000km of cycling lanes.
Setting a national target of 90% resource recovery, and set
minimum requirements for recycled content to drive the supply of new
products.
Creating 40,000 land care jobs by revegetating 27m hectares –
3.5% of Australia’s land mass – in five years and 55m hectares over a
decade.
Creating a national careers institute to work out what training would be needed.
ABC chair Ita Buttrose has called out claims by the prime minister that the national broadcaster’s funding has not been cut.
Photograph: Dan Himbrechts/AAP
ABC chair Ita Buttrose has publicly refuted Scott Morrison over
claims the broadcaster’s budget has not been cut, clarifying indexation
freezes will amount to an $83m reduction over three years.
Buttrose’s claims come as the ABC’s former national head of emergency broadcasting responded to reports there are plans to make the role redundant,
warning such a move could “put the lives of Australians at risk”
following a deadly fire season during which the broadcaster was credited
with providing critical safety information.
On Friday, Buttrose released a statement
responding to the prime minister’s comments on Thursday that “the ABC’s
funding is increasing every year” and that “there are no cuts”.
“If you’re working in the media industry, if you’re a journalist
today, the safest place for you to be is actually at the ABC,” Morrison
said.
Buttrose called out the government for not regarding an indexation freeze as resulting in a budget reduction.
“Let me clarify the cuts because there seems to be some confusion in government circles about them,” she said.
“The 2018 budget papers clearly state that the government’s savings
measures reduce funding to the ABC by $14.623m in 2019-20, $27.842m in
2020-21, and $41.284m in 2021-22. This reduction totals $83.75m on our
operational base.
“It
is true that over the three years the ABC budget does still increase
but by a reduced amount, due to indexation on the fixed cost of
transmission and distribution services. Previously, it was rising by a
further $83.75m over the same three years for indexation on our
operational base. This is the funding that has been cut and considered a
saving by the government,” she said.
Buttrose also commented on the redundancies announced at the broadcaster this week, including the proposed axing of the manager of emergency broadcasting.
“This has been a devastating week for the ABC. With unemployment at
an all-time high to have to inform up to 250 people they no longer had a
job has been an incredibly difficult task.
“Imagine what it would be like during the bushfire season if
we had to rely only on state-based or even regionally based media
outlets. When we are in the middle of bushfires, don’t we want to know
that they are being covered by a knowledgeable and experienced network
of journalists with all the supporting infrastructure of a large
national network?” Buttrose said.
Buttrose’s claims come as the ABC’s former national head of emergency broadcasting responded to reports there are plans to make the role redundant,
warning such a move could “put the lives of Australians at risk”
following a deadly fire season during which the broadcaster was credited
with providing critical safety information.
On Thursday, the ABC said it “would continue to have national coordination in our management of emergency broadcasting”.
“The ABC’s vital role in emergency broadcasting has never been more
clear. Nothing in this week’s proposals would jeopardise that,” the
statement said, arguing it is “proposing to improve the service with
closer ties between our emergency broadcast team and our local and
regional teams”.
An ABC spokesman told the Guardian the proposal would flatten the
structure of a national emergency coordination role and distribute the
management of relationships between the ABC and emergency responders,
including fire authorities, to several different employees.
There will continue to be two national coordination leads covering a seven-day roster between them as part of the proposal.
However Ian Mannix, who worked as the manager of emergency
broadcasting at ABC from 2006 to 2017, said when he performed the role
full-time and worked with two part-time coordination leads, they were
already working to capacity.
He is concerned emergency warnings will be “missed” under the
proposal, because without the national coordinator, “more complex tasks
will be asked of already busy” state managers during an emergency.
He also warned the axing of the role could see a repeat of the period
after he stepped down from the role and it went unfilled, when the ABC
drew criticism for continuing to broadcast a rugby league match despite
an emergency warning being issued for a fire at Tathra in NSW in 2018
that destroyed 69 homes. The ABC has since defended the incident,
arguing an emergency warning was put to air on local radio “as soon as”
the Rural Fire Service issued its warning.
Mannix
said when he worked in the role, his fellow national coordination leads
and the state managers told him “they didn’t have capacity for the
overarching type of work I was doing”.
“The reality is that the ABC is capable of coping with some of the
extra work, but I don’t think in complex and ongoing emergencies
broadcasts will be managed as well.”
“The only time the ABC missed a warning was when we didn’t have a
national manager (of emergency broadcasting),” Mannix, who took
voluntary redundancy in 2017, said, referring to the Tathra 2018
bushfire.
“My concern is by stripping out this role, every time there’s an
emergency in Australia, lives will be at stake. Without the national
manager, I am concerned we will miss warnings, and therefore put the
lives of Australians at risk.”
“I am genuinely concerned the ABC might drop the ball on emergencies,” Mannix said.
Stuart Ellis, the chief executive of the Australasian Fire and
Emergency Service Authorities Council who liaised with the ABC’s
national manager of emergency broadcasting during the most recent fire
season, has also expressed concern at any potential impacts on national
coordination during bushfire emergencies.
Ellis, who told this year’s royal commission into the past bushfire season that state bushfire-fighting efforts are being frustrated by the lack of a national system to allocate resources,
told the Guardian he had worked “hand in glove” with the ABC on its
warnings policy over the past 15 years, including with the manager of
emergency broadcasting.
Ellis said it would be “unhelpful” if the position, which liaises
with bodies including the Bureau of Meteorology and state-based fire and
response groups during an emergency, were to be made redundant.
