The ABC is covered by its own piece of legislation. Section 8 sets out the duties of the Board. They are:
8 Duties of the Board
(1) It is the duty of the Board:
(a) to ensure that the functions of the Corporation are performed efficiently and with the maximum benefit to the people of Australia;
(b) to maintain the independence and integrity of the Corporation;
(c) to ensure that the gathering and presentation by the Corporation of news and information is accurate and impartial according to the recognized standards of objective journalism; and
(d) to ensure that the Corporation does not contravene, or fail to comply with:
(i) any of the provisions of this Act or any other Act that are applicable to the Corporation; or
(ii) any directions given to, or requirements made in relation to, the Corporation under any of those provisions; and
(e) to develop codes of practice relating to:
(i) programming matters; and …
I am raising this matter here because of something I noticed in the Open Forum which I repeat here:
Local Radio, Canberra. On 10 June, 2014 666 ABC Canberra Breakfast presenter Philip Clark made comments in relation to Cardinal George Pell in an interview with Mr Francis Sullivan, CEO of the Truth Justice and Healing Council.
On 18th June, Philip Clark read the following apology on air:
“On 10 June 2014 I made comments during this program which were critical of Cardinal George Pell and his role in the handling of child sexual abuse claims by the Catholic Church and also his subsequent appointment to a role in the Vatican. My comments about these matters were inaccurate and defamatory and I wish to retract them. The ABC and I apologise to Cardinal Pell for the harm caused to him.”
I’m also tempted to locate the podcast so I can listen to Clark defame Pell: you can just imagine it – all Catholic priests are paedophiles, Pell is probably a paedophile himself, he was covering up for paedophiles before he was ordained, he has been kicked upstairs to the Vatican so he can hide his involvement in paedophilia in the Australian Catholic clergy, etc. etc.
Come on, Board members, it is time to act. You are charged with maintaining the integrity of the Corporation and ensuring news and information is accurate and impartial according to the recognized standards of objective journalism. Let’s face it, the ABC is out of control.
Will Clark (and others) be shown the door?
It will be a cold day in Hell, Judith. The Sun is likely to burn out sooner.
Just remember – the Progressive Left takes no real responsibility, accepts no real blame, and will say sorry only when it’s politically advantageous of them to do so, or when their backs are pressed up against the wall with not other option available to them.
Besides Abbott-the-Beast is a Catholic, so ShutUp!
All at the ABC believe they are doing a bang up job to their “recognized standards” . Therefore no case to answer.
No. Next question?
Nothing to write about Judith? It’s a bit lazy of you to use that old chestnut of bagging the ABC again !!
And don’t forget:
Judging from the Chaser debacle, and this one, the Board does not consider that the defamation laws apply to the ABC.
Just privatise it already.
No.
I see the “Friends of Their Partisan ABC” are rather upset by your post, Judith.
Good.
What can one say other than repeat the RFSD*
Shut.It.Down
Fire.Them.All
*Rabz Final Solution Doctrine
The ABC Collective needs to be called out for what it is – namely, a den of thieves. They’re actually no better than Mike Williamson or Craig Thompson. Just like that pair, Their ABC has decided it can and will purloin the funds of taxpayers (or union members, in the cases of the former) to satisfy its appetite, thumbing its nose at the conditions attached to spending. There’s a culture of entitlement that runs right through the modern left.
I’m betting you didn’t read the article, as a trolling attempt that was amateur, lift your game.
“Is the ABC Board doing its job?”
No.
Two of the 8 members of the board of the ‘progressive’ ABC – Spigelman and Bart – are Jewish. This must be something of a head-exploder for mainstream anti-Semitic ‘progressives’, for whom Jews are, by definition, rich, conservative, pro-Israel puppet-masters. Maybe it’s all a very, very subtle Zionist plot!
Jeno
#1355826, posted on June 22, 2014 at 3:33 pm
Nothing to write about Judith? It’s a bit lazy of you to use that old chestnut of bagging the ABC again !!
Didn’t like the question Jeno did you? No doubt it struck a nerve.
Don’t forget OB, also;
Demolish.the.buildings
Salt.the.earth
This is always a worthy topic to write about.
The ABC deserves a thorough bashing. The upshot is that it can’t be reformed and needs to be sold off or given away, or divested.
It is obsolete anyway. The concept is anti democratic and illiberal anyway.
When I speak with ABC supporters I ask them what in particular they like about ABC TV. They always mention purchased BBC programs, it appears that even ABC supporters are turned off by ABC produced (so-called) drama and comedy shows. Here’s a tip for the Government: take one of the ABC’s many channels and offer it for sale to the BBC. Let the BBC broadcast their shows to the Australian viewers directly.
The small number of ABC viewers will then watch their favourite programs on the BBC channel, the Government will benefit from the sale, and the ABC will lose its audience and sink into complete oblivion.
Yes and why people don’t understand this is bizarre. The time for a publicly-funded media conglomerate in a democracy is long past it’s use-by date. Those wishing to keep their ABC ought to out their hands in their pockets and buy it up when ot comes up for sale. Bet they won’t, of course.
Their ABC is nothing more than a lefty megaphone funded by conservative-leaning taxpayers and some lefty ones.
The fact that their ABC’s Scott admitted Chris Kenny was targeted for his criticisms of their ABC ought to be enough reason to shut the conglomerate down.
Nothing is going to happen as long as the minister for the Eastern suburbs, doctors’ wives and ego stroking soirees has entre to the inner sanctum.
The abc is THE opposition to conservatism in this nation. It does a better job than the pack led by the stunted one and even the flock of banshee filth.
The abc will continue in its present form until the coalition grows a dick. Fat chance of that; apart from Morrison its wall to wall camel toe.
Philip Clark’s interview was with Francis Sullivan from the Catholic Church Truth Justice and Healing Council.
The question by Clark obviously had said that Cardinal Pell had covered up and defended paedophiles, for which the ABC has since apologised but the mud has already been thrown.
Is Malcolm Turnbull doing his job?
Obviously, no!
If the Left’s Board will not do their job, the Minister must act.
The ABC Board is indeed doing its job, and extremely well.
Their job is to promote left-wing and extreme left-wing-green ideas and concepts as part of their role as a captured institution in Gramsci’s march through the institutions. Their job is to extend and expand this attack on western societal values.
As to their duties as oputlined by Judith, pfft. So what? Those outlined duties are merely words on a bit of paper somewhere. What difference do they make?
Yes! Helping the ALP.
Clark was just supporting the atheists.
Pell is a dangerous person. Pell believes in God.
Agree!
Fail.
The board is doing nothing of value, Scott is doing nothing worthy of his huge pay, and the ABC’s News & Current Affairs should be the first part to be closed down. Leave ABC Classic FM and Landline until last, just for me, as they don’t offend me or common sense too often. JJJ? pffft! next to go out the door after newscaf. Regional stations may stay where there’s no alternative.
Oh, and Jeno, when you’ve grown up enough to make sensible comments and recognise that you’re talking to someone (Judith) vastly above your intellectual grade, pop back. Until then, consider suicide.
Why the complaints about their ABC. There’s a coalition government in power and they don’t seem to mind if their ABC defames people. Stop c0mplaining.
On the night of the Liberal win I was invited to the after party and spoke to Andrew Robb about their ABC. We ended in an argument about this. He initially told me that was all he heard from his constituents throughout the campaign.
They don’t care!
I think we should start a petition for an inquiry into the ABC’s anti-Catholic bias.
If substantiated, section 114 would operate to either require the ABC be defunded, or a major overhaul put in place.
dogs
Get it started, as I’m happy to sign bot for myself, family and the Global Warming and Fair Pay Institute that I run.
One morning last week Philip Adams also tried to claim that there was not intellectual properties around the previous branding of cigarette packets. He even stated that the cigarette companies were lying by claiming their IP had been taken away.
How they let someone so ignorant present a program is perplexing.
Hi Malcolm:
This is the second time in about as many weeks the ABC has had to offer an apology for slander and defaming someone
See here:
http://catallaxyfiles.com/2014/06/22/is-the-abc-board-doing-its-job/comment-page-1/#comment-1355921
You’re the Communications minister and it would be expected of you to intervene and bring sanctions. No amount of getting pictures taken with Mark Scott can change the fact that you’re shirking responsibility in not intervening. Fire Scott! Fire him, or remove yourself from the portfolio and allow someone else to take responsibility. There’s something terribly wrong with the ABC when, as the broadcasting arm of the state, it’s found to be defaming the members of the public.
Do something for lord’s sake!
Regards
JC
I think – well, actually given its general uselessness since September last, I hope – that the Coalition’s strategy is one of ‘enough rope’: let the leftist twits at the ABC carry on until they generate sufficient community outrage that the government has sufficient space to act.
At present, regardless of our strong feelings, most in the community really don’t give a frog’s fat one about leftism on the ABC. Electorally, under these circumstances it doesn’t pay for the government to get ahead of the community. So the best thing to do is simply give the ABC the rope and ladder, and let them do the dirty work themselves.
If this is the strategy, then having Turnbull and Scott notionally in charge is an important part of it. These two vacuous show ponies are guaranteed not to take action, no matter what the leftist twits do.
This pretty much guarantees that the degradation of public broadcasting will continue. Which is great news for us. Sometimes all you have to do is sit and wait for your enemies to kick the ladder away themselves.
Scott’s a leftist. He supports what they are doing.
“Is the ABC Board doing its job?”
Oh bwaaa…
That’s a bit like Judith’s earnest belief that Tone needs to get with the most economically effective means of abating CO2……or taxing UFO’s use of airspace, both about as real as the other.
But let’s pretend.
Ditto Turnbull.
JC, Manalive – same result.
Let the good time roll!
I think we should start a petition for an inquiry into the ABC’s all (anti-Catholic) bias.
+ +++
2dogs
When has the ABC Board ever done its job? The Board achieved absolutely nothing when Howard appointed some conservatives to its ranks, so why would they act now?
FIFY
Does anyone know if there is still an employee rep on the board? If so, do they have voting rights?
The ABC debauched its integrity and independence decades ago. Progressive board members may still bath the whore, but they can’t change her habits.
Most emails will be treated like spam I assume.
I think the board should be sued, spiegelman is meant to be judge it’s just a disgrace
The ABC should be forced to divest itself of the DRUM online magazine.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/thedrum/
It’s in direct competition with commercial subscription media outlets.
It could be sold off or made to be self funding through subscription access. Payment for the right to comment on the articles may be a useful approach.
You can’t target an institution, you need to target an individual. By target I mean sack. Just like commercial media. Does “the board” or “the minister have the power? If not, nothing can be done.
Why does it have to be that only ABC can buy BBC’s programmes? Commercial channels used to buy a lot of BBC programming and could do so again. All that needs to be done is cut back funding to the ABC so they don’t price the others out of the market.
I thought foxtel has recently bought rights to BBC programmes?
‘By target I mean sack. Just like commercial media. Does “the board” or “the minister have the power?’
Pickles, according to s 13(3) of the Australian Broadcasting Act 1983, ‘ The Managing Director holds office…on such terms and conditions as are determined by the Board.’
I can’t find any more info on these ‘terms and conditions’, which presumably include grounds for termination. Presumably they are in his contract. Other Cats may have better luck,
I find it a little odd that a taxpayer funded organisation should be so coy about the grounds on which an employee with Scott’s responsibilities and on Scott’s salary can be sacked.
(a) to ensure that the functions of the Corporation are performed efficiently and with the maximum benefit to the people of Australia;
It’s perfectly clear that to the ABC conservatives are not people of Australia, we do not matter. It seems everyone deserves respect except us, every permutation of culture and subculture is ahead of us. Even jihadists get the benefit of the doubt that they wouldn’t dream of giving us.
The ABC programming is much like current Australian moviemaking, ugly and dispiriting. The Dish was the last Australian movie I paid to see.
It’s good that Philip Clark apologised, but I’m not convinced Mark Scott understands the consequences and emotional pain he is causing to people targeted by his ABC presenters who do not check facts. Especially when the subject is paedo*philia …
He doesn’t care or he doesn’t understand, hard to tell.
The bureaucratic and legal details are not important or relevant; the libs don’t have dicks when it comes to the abc; they are no more than ravished maidens at the hands of virile popinjays like snowcone.
18C them. It is religious and racial bias. It is offensive.
Time for a bit of BDS aimed at the ABC perhaps?
The ABC needs to be defunded and sold off. It is a Statist, socialist obscenity that was never compatible with our liberal democratic society. An anachronism of another era that has outlived its usefulness and abused its charter. It should no longer be tolerated.
The channel 7 news has just finished over here in the West and the story about Mathieson was deemed newsworthy enough to air here.
Not on the ABC news website all fucking day………..
I hate Aunty more and more every day
‘The ABC is out of control’
Really? You can make a lot from one moment – this site is quite expert at it. It is the idea of a successful and popular funded entity that eats you up, isn’t it? They give plenty of time to the likes of Prof Sloan, the IPA, Reith and Vanstone, all of whom would rather see the ABC gone, and they treat them respectfully when they are on air. More than can be said for the Murdochians, the IPA and the Catallaxy people where the ABC is concerned.
But in this case, isn’t the ABC correct to judge that shampoo salesman wasn’t newsworthy?
Alf
The ABC has latterly upset people because of mistruths. They reported the Navy abused and burnt asylum seekers and shot at the boats, as if it were facts. It was not.
Why did they write that, when it was not true? Why would they do that without checking the facts.
It’s a matter of opinion JC. The current partner of the former PM leaves a message (a threatening one) on the line of the current Premier of Victoria.
I say newsworthy ……
No
They probably meet once a quarter, have a few sandwiches and go home
Alf, you fucking imbecile. You complete dickhead, the genesis of this story is that an ABC “operative” was forced to apologize to a member of the public because of defamatory comments he (a bald cue ball) made.
Your head deserves to be placed in a vice and tightened to the point of cracking, you degenerate loser.
They are not funded by my taxes.
The ABC is. I would like to withdraw that funding, since they are a pack of green-progressives who are to the left of the Labor Party. The ABC morning radio news is like listening to Radio Moscow during the Cold War. Three decades ago it was not the case. Then they did maintain standards. Now they’ve given up any pretence.
They should be cut adrift. I have no problem with them existing so long as it is not due to taxes involuntarily collected from me. Let those who want them pay for them. Fairfax and the Guardian are of similar persuasion – which is their prerogative since they extract tithes from their own. That is quite fine. Not so the ABC which is taxpayer funded. They should be neutral or they should be shut down.
Judith Sloan what a load of crap. You are quick to put the suitably defamatory words in his mouth even before hearing the broadcast. Desperate stuff.
Not Scott, Des, I mean idiot who wrote the piece, idiot who read it and anyone with a fingerprint on it. Sacking a boss does nothing, reaching right down to desk level puts the frighteners right on them.
Our current government has no stomach to reform or privatize the ALPBC.
Below is an excerpt from a letter sent to me by our PM:
I did not expect this response. Surely our PM understands free speech, and a free press are the very antithesis of a large, state-owned, union-controlled media outlet?
It’s not April 1st you fucking moron and apologies from their ABC don’t come easily, as we have learnt from the Kenny case. STFU. If it didn’t cause serious risk of a defamation suit there would be no way in hell their ABC would offer such an unreserved apology.
Are all leftwingers this fucking stupid? Honest question. It seems the latest batch are stupider than the previous one. And that batch was seriously retarded.
Pickles: According to the ABC Enterprise Agreement, and ABC employee can be done for misconduct. which, under clause 56.1.1. includes but is not limited to one or more
circumstances where an employee:
a. Wilfully disobeys or disregards a reasonable and lawful direction;
b. Is inefficient or incompetent for reasons within their own control;
c. Is negligent or careless in the discharge of their duties;
d. Engages in improper conduct as an employee of the ABC;
e. Engages in improper conduct which brings, or is likely to bring, the ABC into
disrepute;
f. Fails to comply with, or contravenes, a term or condition of this Agreement;
g. Deliberately provides at any time incorrect or misleading information which is relevant
to their employment;
h. Exercises unlawful discrimination, patronage or favouritism in relation to employment
matters within the ABC.
I would suggest, without prejudice, that there may be a case for disciplinary action against Clark for a breach of clause 56.1.1. c; negligence or carelessness in the discharge of his duties. Of course, I don’t know what processes led to him making the apology. He might conceivably been charged with a breach of 56.1.1.c and an apology was the outcome.
what about 56.1.1(e)?
‘what about 56.1.1(e)?’
That usually means not getting into a drunken fight on a Friday night while wearing your ABC nametag.
Desperate stuff indeed. She was wetting herself so badly when she discovered this outrage that she had to go to print even before she had listened to the broadcast desperate stuff and typical of the non research of this site – tobacco stats anyone?
‘She was wetting herself so badly when she discovered this outrage that she had to go to print even before she had listened to the broadcast’
She didn’t have to. The fact that that Clark had to apologise is all you need to know.
What’s with the influx of drolls?
What I do know is that is a sloppy and lazy way to go about your work.
Statement from Francis Sullivan:
So yes, Judith was on the money.
Statement from Francis Sullivan:
So yes, Judith was on the money.
Go on read it – she just “imagined” what was broadcast – laugh out loud indeed. And she wants to be taken seriously?
Indeed, Pell has helped the church respond to victims, but not the victims of pedo priests. Take the $50k or take us to court, oh and then, the church is not liable for priests they are not employees. The problem with Spell is not that he has done something, its that he did nothing. More mealy mouth words from the church.
I’ve just submitted Gillard’s claim to ABC Factcheck, after Scumbers informed us that she was not lying about Peris’ status as “first Indigenous Federal parliamentarian.” Let’s see whether the two branches of the green-left-scum-filth are in agreement on this question.
Is leftwing central casting sending out the stupidest trolls or is this as good as it gets? I have not seen a more moronic bunch of trolls at this blog. This is now a record.
Since the broadcast was admitted by the ABC to be defamatory and false, they are not going to repeat the libel by making it available for people to listen to or read the transcript of.
But we do know that it was in the context of an interview with a member of an organisation that deals with abuse of children. From their own apology, the ABC admitted that the presenter made false and defamatory comments as follows:
So we know what the gist of the remarks was, especially as similar (false) claims have previously been made about Cardinal Pell.
Oh, and thanks for the hat tip for my original sourcing of the material for this post, Judith.
Not. Poor netiquette on your part.
You mean the Catholic church, unlike all other organisations, should encourage people to sue it and broadcast that it’s open to claims for the conduct of non-employees? I assume on the same basis you believe the ALP should be liable for the sexual abuse perpetrated by its “non-employees” such as Orkopolous as well as the various misconducts of the Pieman.
By Murdochian broadcasters I assume you mean FoxNews. But what on-air broadcasts do the IPA or Catalaxy control? And where does the ABC seek on-air representation, other than via the ABC? If the ABC were to advocate some position through another broadcasting service, that would be inconsistent with its charter obligations.
Your argument is absurd.
The focus on anti-Catholic bias is what is needed to activate section 116 of the constitution (sorry got the section wrong earlier). A general complaint about ABC bias would just look like political game playing.
Can we start gathering evidence of ABC’s anti-Catholic bias in this thread? I’ll start:
b.p.terpstra
Philip Clark, as a former staffer to John Button and activist within the ALP, is the perfect profile for a “moderate” ABC front man. Others are far more to the left. I wonder, if we did a totting up, what proportion had been ALP, Greens and Lib Nat? Just kidding, the appointments on the merit system takes care of everything
Looks like another snip has been mooted
Death of 1000 cuts
Only if there is a mention of “darkies” and someone snickers.
Otherwise, no chance.
With a certain soccer tournament currently being on I have had cause to breach my golden rule of refusing to watch free to air “commercial” TV and have been recording the SBS broadcasts of the matches. Despite my best efforts to avoid any of the other content, I am still singularly repulsed by what is on offer on that taxpayer funded broadcaster.
SBS is appallingly leftist (probably moreso than the ALPBC) and pushes the despicable, divisive diversity meme at every available opportunity. A particular standout example is the schlockumentary “Once upon a time in Punchadabowl”, featuring various violent, illiterate
losersdisability pensioners of arabic extraction – and incredibly, trying to excuse their disgraceful anti-social behaviour (I have had the misfortune of encountering these low life scum in real life and know exactly what they are like).SBS too, is an absolute abomination.
Shut it down or sell it off, but it cannot be allowed to continue as it is – and don’t get me started on tripe such as “the full Brazilian” or that monstrous screeching harridan who reads the ‘news’.
How much money does that one take from me?
How many times do we have to say it?
This is the truth MK50.
But to get to here you have to unbelieve 50 years of normal. You have to believe that some of us AREN”T some of us. Most of us are too lazy or busy or scared for that so the rot grows.
The ABC was long ago captured by the ISIS (Indcredibly Stupid Intitution of Socialists) collective, to bring about a luvvie heavenly ‘caliphate’ propaganda arm in Australia.
The ABC Collective needs to be called out for what it is
The GetUp! Channel?
The ShutUp! channel? (Get up isn’t about motivating people to be involved, but to shout over people.)
If the former Chief Justice of the NSW Supreme Court, now Chairman of the ABC Board, doesn’t care about this, the case against the ABC is surely closed.