Today in The Australian
Much like the BBC, the ABC was formed, and its mission framed, on the basis of two beliefs that emerged from the trauma of the First World War.
Liberty Quote
Fundamentally, there are only two ways of coordinating the economic activities of millions. One is central direction involving the use of coercion – the technique of the army and of the modern totalitarian state. The other is voluntary cooperation of individuals – the technique of the marketplace.
— Milton Friedman-
Recent Comments
- Steve trickler on US post-election thread VIII: It all ends in tears
- Bruce on The Insider Assassination Hoax
- Rabbi Putin on Get ready for some hard-hitting accountability journalism
- feelthebern on Open Forum: January 16, 2021
- Cassie of Sydney on Open Forum: January 16, 2021
- Knuckle Dragger on Open Forum: January 16, 2021
- miltonf on Get ready for some hard-hitting accountability journalism
- Diogenes on Open Forum: January 16, 2021
- Tailgunner on US post-election thread VIII: It all ends in tears
- Candy on The Insider Assassination Hoax
- PB on The Insider Assassination Hoax
- Mater on Open Forum: January 16, 2021
- Buccaneer on Get ready for some hard-hitting accountability journalism
- PB on “Harming people in the name of helping them is one of mankind’s favourite pastimes”
- Fair Shake on Get ready for some hard-hitting accountability journalism
- Tailgunner on US post-election thread VIII: It all ends in tears
- Cassie of Sydney on Open Forum: January 16, 2021
- Petros on CIS Annual Report for 2020
- Knuckle Dragger on Open Forum: January 16, 2021
- Mother Lode on “Harming people in the name of helping them is one of mankind’s favourite pastimes”
- Mater on Open Forum: January 16, 2021
- Mater on Open Forum: January 16, 2021
- Knuckle Dragger on Open Forum: January 16, 2021
- sfw on Open Forum: January 16, 2021
- duncanm on The Insider Assassination Hoax
- Bruce of Newcastle on Open Forum: January 16, 2021
- 1735099 on Open Forum: January 16, 2021
- PB on Get ready for some hard-hitting accountability journalism
- Winston Smith on Open Forum: January 16, 2021
- P on US post-election thread VIII: It all ends in tears
-
Recent Posts
- CIS Annual Report for 2020
- Get ready for some hard-hitting accountability journalism
- “Harming people in the name of helping them is one of mankind’s favourite pastimes”
- The Insider Assassination Hoax
- The empire strikes back with a wet lettuce leaf
- Promoting “hatred, division and madness”
- Australia’s Nazi community deserves an apology
- Trump’s loss: the treason of the intellectuals
- Most COVID fines to be dropped
- Phil Spector 1939 – 2021
- Trust The Science
- Read this book
- Latest on their ABC
- Vive la résistance
- Jo Nova on impending declassification of Obamagate documents
- Mark Mills and the reality of the Green New Deal
- Incited by Nancy Pelosi, Democrat terrorists tried to kill Trump
- Open Forum: January 16, 2021
- One year ago
- Mask up, and stay safe
- Music Maestro: January 15, 2021
- His two biggest strengths were his two biggest flaws
- Life imitates art
- America’s democracy designed to survive Trump crisis
- “The markings of an organized operation planned well in advance”
- Melanin supremacy
- With Trump it’s ALWAYS someone else’s fault
- Frydenberg on behavioural responses
- Google experiments: ACCC to be humiliated?
- Political theatre on the left
Archives
Pages
Blogroll
- 38 South
- ABC The Drum
- AEI Ideas
- Alex
- all right, all right
- Andrew Bolt
- Andrew McIntyre
- Andrew Norton – New
- Andrew Norton – Old
- Arnold Kling
- Aussie Macro Moments
- Becker – Posner
- Bill Mitchell – billy blog
- Bob McGee
- Cafe Hayek
- Calculated Risk
- Calling Bullshit
- Captain Capitalism
- Carpe Diem (New)
- Carpe Diem (Old)
- Causes of the crisis
- Chalk Bunny
- Charles Richardson
- Chicago University – Pro Market
- Chris Snowdon
- Club Troppo
- Confessions of a College Professor
- Consumer Choice Center
- Continental Telegraph
- Conversable Economist
- Coordination Problem
- Core Economics
- Cryptoeconomics
- Dan Wang
- Daniel Greenfield
- David Hart
- Diane Coyle
- Dick Puddlecote
- Econ Journal Watch
- EconAcademics
- Econbrowser
- EconLog
- Econofact
- Econometrics Beat
- Economic Education Initiative
- Essential Hayek
- Fama/French
- Fault Lines
- Fiscal Times
- Foundation for Economic Education
- Freedom and Prosperity Academy
- Greg Mankiw
- Grey Enlightenment
- Guido Fawkes
- Harry Clarke (Temporary)
- Head Rambles
- Homer Paxton
- How does your MP vote
- Institutional Economics
- International Liberty
- Islam and Liberty Network
- Jim Rose
- John Cochrane
- John Lott
- John Quiggin
- John Taylor
- Journal of Economic Perspectives
- Julie Borowski
- Keith Hennessey
- Legal Insurrection
- Liberty Law Blog
- Liberty Works
- Loaded Dogma
- Macrobusiness
- Mannkal Foundation
- Marginal Revolution
- Marius Kloppers
- Mark the Ballot
- Mark the Graph
- markedlymacrotoo
- Market Urbanism
- Master Resource
- Matt Ridley
- Menzies House
- Michael Oakeshott Association
- Michael Smith
- Michel Rauchs
- Miranda Devine
- Money Illusion
- MyGovCost
- Natural Order – Christopher Lingle
- New Economist
- Notes on Liberty
- Offsetting Behaviour
- Oliver Hartwich
- On Line Opinion
- Opinion Dominion
- Paul Johnson Archives
- Peter Fenwick
- Peter Martin
- Philippa Martyr
- Piled Higher and Deeper
- Pointman
- Political Calculations
- Potemkin's Village
- Poverty Cure
- Prick with a fork
- Principles of Forecasting
- Quadrant Online
- Queensland Economy Watch
- Quillette
- Raph Koster
- Reflections on Liberty and Power
- Retraction Watch
- Rhino economics
- ricardian ambivalence
- Robert Murphy
- Roger Kerr (archive)
- Rosemary Fryth
- Skepticlawyer
- Sound Money
- Spiked
- Sports Economist
- Statista
- Stop Gillard's Carbon Tax
- Streetwise Professor
- Stubborn Mule
- Taking Liberties (Simon Clark)
- Tax Foundation
- Tax Rambling
- TaxProf
- The Baseline Scenario
- The Black Steam Train
- The Marcus Review
- The Moronic Lodge
- The TaxPayers' Alliance
- The Visible Hand
- The Wentworth Report
- Think Markets
- Thomas the Think Engine
- Tim Blair
- Tim Worstall
- Truth on the Market
- Vox CEPR Policy Portal
- William Briggs – Statistician
Meta
Valid criticism of the ABC is abundant, but they don’t give a damn because the ABC is legislatively immune to any kind of oversight or intervention. The ABC doesn’t even have to follow its charter, because there’s no enforcement mechanism. Senate Estimates are nothing but street theatre and have no impact.
HOWEVER….
When people start targeting specific possible solutions, they freak out. For example, when you push the sale of their Ultimo HQ and moving them all to Parramatta, and they start foaming at the mouth and hearing voices. Even better, attach that concept to creating opportunities for their favourite little Alphabet People, and it’s check-mate.
Target the benefits of their existence, and they fall apart.
Reform of the ABC is vital and it must be made to follow its eminently supportable charter to the letter.
Replacing the ABC’s ridiculous and irrelevant in house complaints process with a fearless, transparent, and fully independent panel would be a good starting point.
As a start close down any boutique coffee and latte shops within strolling distance of Ultimo HQ.
Anyone know how they are going with diversity and gender equality quotas in the engineering depts?
That also includes building maintenance BTW and other yukky jobs where one gets ones hands dirty.
The Coalition tried to do something about it for years but never had the nerve or realised the urgent need to get tough and seriously slash the budget.
The high tide of that delinquency was Tony Abbott’s promise to maintain their funding, delivered on the eve of his landslide victory. Did he think he would get a single vote out of that?
[Accepting all the errors, forced and unforced that he made, I still think it was a disaster to turn to Turnbull. Still I don’t want this thread to wander off topic in that direction].
Getting back to the point, the failure of the Coalition vis a vis the ABC was replicated time after time after time – the Stot-Despoyer appointment, appointments to agencies of the grievance industry, appointments to the High Court etc etc.
The argument that the talent deserve such generous remuneration to prevent their roster being raided by the private sector was revealed to be nonsense when Alberscreechy left and could not get a gig.
They are just not that good. Tie finance to performance and watch the wretched thing wither and die.
And broadcast it.
“Rafe Champion
#3657545, posted on November 13, 2020 at 9:04 am
The Coalition tried to do something about it for years but never had the nerve or realised the urgent need to get tough and seriously slash the budget.
The high tide of that delinquency was Tony Abbott’s promise to maintain their funding, delivered on the eve of his landslide victory. Did he think he would get a single vote out of that?
[Accepting all the errors, forced and unforced that he made, I still think it was a disaster to turn to Turnbull. Still I don’t want this thread to wander off topic in that direction].
Getting back to the point, the failure of the Coalition vis a vis the ABC was replicated time after time after time – the Stot-Despoyer appointment, appointments to agencies of the grievance industry, appointments to the High Court etc etc.”
A very good comment Rafe. There is a commentator here (on the open forum) who maintains that the reason why the coalition has never done anything about their ABC…particularly under Howard….is because it would have been electoral disaster and that it would have caused a backbencher revolt. I disagree. Howard had control of the senate from 2004 to 2007 and he did nothing…just like nothing was done about Section 18C. But anyway that is now all in the past….yet the coalition has been in power since 2013 and all it has done is chip away….nothing substantial. Now the ABC, riddled with scum like Milligan….is out of control and it doesn’t even try and hide its bias. The ABC is beyond redemption. And if I see another coalition MP like Sarah Henderson or Andrew Bragg talk about how important the ABC is to Australia…I will scream. The truth is that if the ABC were to disappear tomorrow…nobody would miss it.
“Replacing the ABC’s ridiculous and irrelevant in house complaints process with a fearless, transparent, and fully independent panel would be a good starting point.”
Agree…but nobody will do it. Ita’s been MIA since Monday’s disgraceful, biased political hit job on the coalition.
Why does the head quarters even need to be in Sydney? Why not send it west of the sandstone curtain to regional Australia. Decentralise the HQ altogether. I’m sure Dubbo, Orange, Bathurst or Albury for example would welcome the extra business. The other states could all make a bid for the regional HQ, Monty would love them in Toowoobah, or how about Bendigo, or Mount Gambier or Geralton? Lots of options to consider.
Cassie
The truth is that if the ABC were to disappear tomorrow…nobody who matters would miss it.
Fixed!
‘The argument that the talent deserve such generous remuneration to prevent their roster being raided by the private sector was revealed to be nonsense when Alberscreechy left and could not get a gig.’
And yet these days no one in he private sector seems much interested in poaching the ABC’s current ‘stars’ .
Quite the contrary, many seem to have been poached from the private sector by the ABC: Crabb, Tingle, even Milligan. Recruitment process for these people are, of course, opaque: the ABC seems to be run by and for mates.
While those towns would welcome the money they would not be so open to the miserable creatures who came with it – at first.
After a few months of finding their tyres let down after calling cattle farmers blood-drenched murderers, having little Tarquin coming home in tears because the other kids laughed at him for wearing a girls’ school uniform, or finding everybody in town avoids in public them but laugh behind their hands after they suggest story telling by drag queens with dildo accompaniment, they might feel a little out of their safe space.
Then they would have to start hiring locals. While there may be sympathetic souls in Sydney no lefty really believes in making sacrifices. Their idea of virtue is to force other people to make sacrifices. So with the good burghers of these regional towns in the cafeteria, holding clapper boards, handling the cameras, and editing, the likes of Tony Jones will just dry out, shrivel, and get blown away when someone opens a window.
Valid criticism of the ABC is abundant, but they don’t give a damn because the ABC is legislatively immune to any kind of oversight or intervention.
The solution is simple.
There is littel legislation surrounding the funding arrangements. Until c.1973 it was through the TV license. Whitlam terminated that and began funding it out of general revenue. Return t0o the license model of funding but make it voluntary, i.e. a subscription service.
Those who want to watch the ABC can subscribe. Those who don’t won’t. What could be fairer than that?
I’d wager the ABC wouldn’t last 12 months.
The tripewriter seems to have put a tripo in the headline of this article.
I think it should read:
“Public Interest? A.B.C. betrays its foundering principles.”
There!
Fixed!
The ALPBC enjoys the full support of the UniParty. It ain’t going anywhere,
Both sides of politics regard the ALPBC as a periodic annoyance but do not see it as worth burning political capital over. Neither see attacking the ALPBC as a vote winner despite the fact nobody watches it.
Most people have a 1960s view of the ALPBC – Alan McGillivray calling the cricket on summer holidays and the Country Hour, not the Marxist infested swamp of Ultimo and Southbank.
In short, we are stuck with it.
Just make the funding of the whole ABC/SBS edifice subscription only.
Force the Green/Left to fund their propaganda arm.
Thank you, Henry. Your explorations of history always teach me things I didn’t know, perfectly summarised by the late Rabbi Sachs:
But don’t expect the government to rein in the primitive barbarian tribe that now runs the ABC, which taunts its chairwoman because she has no power over it as she isn’t a member of the collective.
Footnote: It’s a shame I didn’t even attempt to comment on this piece at The Australian, which has given virtual carte blanche to the young barbarians on its staff to ban reader comments that don’t conform to the childish, diseducated, woke tantrum through which they view the world.
The Australian, which, for the time being, I still subscribe to, is at war with its readers.
Any media organisation picked up Alberscreechi yet?
I thought so. Another “star” in fact unemployable and trading of the ALPBC’s fading legacy.
I believe most people watch non-ABC sources for accurate News.
However I do turn to the ABC everyday. and scan their take on anything vaguely important. There is no better way to keep watch on what Socialist World believes and is planning for us all.
If we don’t grit our teeth and examine the true un-Australian world, we have only ourselves to blame if we are caught unawares.
Ignorance will be excuse….
Sorry, but you can’t import the history of the BBC and apply it to the ABC as if they’re the same thing.
The ABC was a private corporation that got nationalised in 1934.
Rather than those redneck settler towns you list, I suggest the ABC relocate, after gaining the appropriate permission from the Elders of course, to some of the communities on this list.
One of the reasons ABC defenders give for its existence is to provide service to regional centres. I think moving them to the heart of those regional centres would add weight to the argument don’t you think. I’m sure outer north west Dimboola would have plenty of room.
I don’t fully agree Tom. Moderating does seem a bit inconsistent, but here are a few of the comments. Not supportive of the ABC at all.
If you relied on the ABC for all your news you would be dumber. A lot dumber.
You would believe that Australian made CO2 causes bush fires. That the Russians stole the 2016 election and that Trump is a Russian agent. That George Pell is guilty of sexual assault and that Aborigines were farmers until the Brits invaded Aborinal nations.
It is not in the national interest to continue funding this socialist propaganda.
FYI: I didn’t comment often at the Oz — very seldom, actually — but was nevertheless miffed to find the comments below canned. There will be no more comments from me as I’ve cancelled my sub. Any material they publish is either or wrong or I can find it elsewhere.
Climate change hysterics like you, John, are the real threat to our way of life. Good luck charging that electric car — the one you’re expecting the taxpayers to subsidise — once a renewables-based grid prevails. You should consider just how many eyesores and bird-mincers will be needed to generate the volts needed to replace petrol.
Yes, you should consider that little stumbling block but, of course, you won’t. Too busy doing your look-at-virtuous-me schtick to ever consider anything quite so mundane as real-world economic and basic physics.
Story: Carbon change will be fundamental
“I have come to the conclusion,” you write.
No, you began with the conclusion and worked backwards to fit George Pell into the landscape of universal Catholic evil that is your surmise.
Sad. Doubly sad that someone so alien to evidence and its rational analysis would parade the arrogant prejudice of ignorance for all to see.
Enjoy your ABC. It’s solely for folks like you.
Story: Pell, facts victims of culture wars
Should WorkSafe Victoria chief Colin Radford receive complaints he has no choice but to investigate. If you have lost an elderly relative to COVID, complain already. The greater the weight of logged complaints, the less wriggle room not to investigate
The number to report death as a result of negligence: 1-800-136-089
Story: The power to probe the ‘don’t knows’
Courtis advised four presidents? As he’s a Canadian, he wouldn’t have had his oar in too deeply with any president, Dem or GOP. As a former Goldman honcho, he would certainly have been advising that Bush and Obama bail out Wall Street after the GFC, which they did.
As to his record as a prognosticator, he was touting Hillary as unbeatable four years ago. On China, his utterances have been consistent: don’t make the dragon angry.
This article is so missing in background and framing it could have run at the ABC.
Hang on! Isn’t that where Ms Fullerton used to work?
whatshot0likesreply0replies
Story: Sharemarket faces reality check with Biden
_____________________________________________________________________
Des D
Recruitment process for these people are, of course, opaque: the ABC seems to be run by and for mates.
And family members?
Yes indeed
Regarding the Oz…..I suspect the Oz has lost a lot of subscribers over the last week. Serves them right. For months now, every time one of my comments has been rejected, I have corresponded with one of the digital editors warning him that the censorship at the newspaper is out of control. They’ve done nothing and the censorship is now out of control. Clearly the newspaper has decided to become “progressive”. Well that isn’t going to work out very well for them. Last Sunday I sent the digital editor this email….
“Spoke to my father last night. He is disgusted with the Oz and is cancelling his sub tomorrow. I will not pay for rubbish by Van Onselen, Bramston and Overington and others. It’s been months coming.
Besides, being a proud deplorable, The Oz can’t possibly want tainted money from a deplorables such as myself…you know the type….me a far-right, neo-Nazi white supremacist Joooish deplorable.
The Oz has been unashamedly pro-Biden….a senile man with a far-left progressive VP candidate. Instead I’ll remember the good that Trump has done….tax cuts which stimulated the economy, moving the embassy to the eternal capital of Israel, the peace treaties between Isr*el and Sudan, Bahrain and the UAE…the peace treaty between Serbia and Kosovo. Contrast this with Obama…half a million dead in Syria, millions of refugees, slave markets operating in Libya (full of sub-Saharan black men, black women and black children children) etc.
I’ve recently noticed the Oz running cover for BLM, anti-Semitism, Islaaaaaaaaamism and all the rest of the left’s talking points. I can read the SMH free at work. May as well…if I am going to read far-left progressive anti-Trump hysteria and gunk, I’ll read Nine Newspaper and The Malcolm Guardian….and the Guardian is free too!
Congratulations to the media…you have finally gotten what you have so earnestly wanted for the last four years…..Trump gone…but the price will be that you will bleed subscribers…..oh and whilst we’re on the topic of “bleeding”…please note that only biological females menstruate….something else the Oz censors now refuse to publish.
Adios Oz.
Quite so. But I would be “with champagne” celebrating its long overdue demise.
Eddystone love your location recommendation!!!
With exquisite timing, we have this absolute gem of righteous outrage from the ABC –
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-13/foxtel-given-$10-million-without-plan-to-spend-it-foi-reveals/12868704
The gist of it is that Foxtel was given taxpayers’ money without being accountable for it (sacré bleu!) and to do stuff which is already being done by others (double sacré bleu with pike and twist!!).
The Gold Walkley for Unintended Irony goes to……
The trick with the ABC would be to come up with a solution that the ALP would not reverse as soon as it got in.
One idea might be to make it a subscription-only service, but with an initial subsidy, of, say, half its current operating costs. That way, everyone who wants the ABC gets it at a subsidised price – hard for them to complain. And reversing the decision later costs Labor money and forces them to explain why people who don’t want it still have to pay for it in full. Over time, the subsidy could then be reduced.
Subscription would also encourage the ABC to produce things that a wider range of people actually wanted to watch or listen to.
Just 20 kms up M4 from Parramatta is the beautiful downtown Penrith right under the Blue Mountains and it has a surplus of commercial buildings going cheap. ScoMo ought to take advantage of this to save taxpayers some money.
They cannot afford them, it seems only taxpayers can.
I would be more likely to subscribe to SBS than the ABC if only to be able to watch and vote in the Eurovision Song Contest.