President's Report - December 2011

The tragic helicopter accident in August which took the lives of reporter Paul Lockyer, pilot Gary Ticehurst and cameraman John Bean served as a reminder of the dangers which are part of being a correspondent for the ABC, particularly those working in the world’s trouble spots. We take for granted that, day by day, we will be kept up to date with what is happening across our nation and throughout the world, but often correspondents are working at considerable personal risk and great personal discomfort. Typical was Paul Lockyer’s honest and compassionate reporting from flood-devastated Queensland towns in January 2011, where he was often first on the scene thanks to Gary Ticehurst and the ABC helicopter, with John Bean’s camera close at hand. Each was an outstanding professional in his field. All three are irreplaceable in the ranks of the ABC.

Throughout a summer of unprecedented natural disasters across Australia – floods in four states, bushfires and cyclones – ABC staff, often working in extreme conditions, provided up-to-date information to the community. Managing Director Mark Scott paid tribute to the work of staff in providing an essential service at both local and national levels with outstanding dedication and professionalism. Such a service is a major reason for the extraordinary trust in which the ABC is hed by the vast majority of the Australian community.

There can be few more dangerous places in the world than Afghanistan, especially for a woman, but ABC correspondent Sally Sara reports daily with clarity, veracity and courage. Mark Colvin, presenter of PM, almost lost his life and is permanently disabled as a result of a virus contracted whilst covering the massacres in Rwanda. Peter Lloyd has put on record the personal trauma of covering several atrocities in South-East Asia, including first reports from areas devastated by the tsunami in Thailand. We must never forget the personal cost to many ABC correspondents in bringing the news to the comfort of our living rooms.

MIXED REPORT CARD ON THE 24 HOUR NEWS CHANNEL
The ABC’s bold venture in establishing a 24-hour News Channel without any additional funding has provided a number of free kicks to the ABC’s critics, including its own MediaWatch program. Resources are frequently stretched to breaking point, and whilst the concept itself is commendable, do we really need news coverage and commentary every minute of the day and night. The larger question goes well beyond just the News Channel – is the ABC trying to do too much within a limited budget, placing impossible demands upon its already stretched resources, both human and material. All the evidence suggests that it is, and that Friends of the ABC must continue to advocate for a significant increase in each triennial budget.

ABC TELEVISION – WHAT’S LEFT?
Insufficient funds for television production has been the primary reason for the erosion of the ABC’s capacity to produce its own material. The current intense debate, which resulted in a Senate Inquiry, is highlighting the questions of outsourcing, editorial control, independence and quality. NSW Friends of the ABC was a signatory to a submission to the inquiry from all state branches, which can be seen on www.fabc.org.au

The Senate Committee has recently handed down its report. The first recommendation is: “that the ABC ensure that it maintains an effective capacity to internally produce quality programming across the regions in addition to news, sport and current affairs. The committee notes that the increasing use of external producers has the capacity to diminish the ABC’s independence and skill base.” Recommendation 5 reminds ABC management of the ABC’s Charter obligations to “encourage and promote arts, including musical, dramatic and other performing arts” and calls on ABC management to urgently publish a strategy outlining how it can meet this obligation given the planned disbanding of the ABC Arts Unit. The full list of recommendations is published elsewhere in Update. Unfortunately, there is no way of compelling ABC management to act upon the recommendations.

MURDOCH ATTACKS INTENSIFY
2011 has seen a crescendo in the frequency and intensity of the attacks on the ABC from the Murdoch press and conservative commentators in general, with relentless campaign being waged by The Australian newspaper, challenging the very existence of a taxpayer funded public broadcaster. Fortunately, the Australian public seems totally unconvinced by their arguments, as public trust in and support for the ABC remains extraordinarily high. Veteran journalist Mike Carlton, in a recent address to Friends of the ABC, whilst lamenting the loss of the thorough training which he received as a young ABC journalist, and an erosion of the broadcasting standards of the past, concluded that “the ABC remains one of our great institutions, one of our finest achievements as a people. It is possible to imagine the ABC being better than it is. But it is impossible to imagine our country without it. For those reasons, and many more, it must be cherished, nurtured and defended.”

FRIENDS OF THE ABC – THE FUTURE?
As a result of a lack of people willing to take on leadership roles, the ACT Branch of Friends of the ABC closed in early 2011, with its entire membership transferring to NSW FABC. Finding the right people to take executive and organizational roles is a growing problem for branches as our membership ages. Of our remaining branches, Cowper and Great Lakes/Manning Valley could be considered to be on life support. However, thanks to the commitment of members and some outstanding leadership, Armidale, Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Hunter, Illawarra, Mid North Coast and Northern Rivers are continuing to provide priceless advocacy for the ABC in their local areas and inviting high-profile ABC personalities to their forums and functions. The branches maintain strong relationships with their political representatives, reinforcing the importance of local voices in defending an independent, commercial-free public broadcaster. I thank all those involved in branches for their dedication to the cause, especially John and Margaret Hale, who have stepped down after ten years leading Central Coast Branch.

Falling membership is affecting all states, but one positive outcome has been an increased level of co-operation between state branches, as seen in joint submissions to the government on The Australia Network, the Senate Inquiry into ABC Television and recommendations for the selection of Board members. Informal discussions have begun between state leaders on addressing the membership issue – it is hoped that a more formal gathering of ideas will take place early in 2012 including representatives of our NSW branches. Clearly, embracing new technologies must be part of that discussion, and we acknowledge the work of Margaret O’Connor (ACT) in setting up our NSW Facebook page. A strong Friends of the ABC voice will be vital as we move into 2012, another critical year for the ABC as funding decisions are made in Canberra for the next triennium, in which we could well be facing an Abbott-led conservative government.

THANKS to the NSW TEAM
May I, in conclusion, pay tribute to the team who have supported the president throughout 2011: James Buchanan, our extraordinarily efficient Secretary/Treasurer, Chris Cartledge, our Webmaster, IT guru, and de facto Assistant Editor of Update Jason Lowe, and the members of the Events Committee which he leads so well Angela Williamson, who maintains such close and personal contact with our membership Geoff Brann, who accurately records all our deliberations and decisions Susan Buchanan, eagle-eyed proofreader of Update, and caterer for our major meetings Nance Loney, whose wisdom and experience add much to the Vice-President role Margaret O’Connor, who from the ACT maintains our Facebook

Mal Hewitt
President FABC (NSW)