ABC must be ideology-free, says Communications Minister Paul Fletcher

Communications Minister Paul Fletcher has delivered a stinging riposte to ABC advocates campaigning against the Coalition on the issue of public funding for the national broadcaster.

Communications Minister Paul Fletcher: ‘True friends of the ABC would recognise the broadcaster should not be the platform for any partic­ular ideology or political position.’ Picture: Getty Images

Communications Minister Paul Fletcher has delivered a stinging riposte to ABC advocates campaigning against the Coalition on the issue of public funding for the national broadcaster, warning the “true friends” of the media giant that it “should not be the platform for any particular ideology or political position”.

Mr Fletcher sent a letter to the organisers of an ‘ABC Friends’ event in Sydney on Sunday — he was invited to attend in person but was unavailable — in which he reminded the group that ABC chairman Ita Buttrose said she was “delighted” by the Coalition’s increase to the broadcaster’s federal funding over the next three years.

“It (the funding boost) will allow the national broadcaster to continue doing what it does best — provide information and entertainment to Australians wherever they live,” Ms Buttrose had said.

Mr Fletcher’s letter reiterates his previous demand that the ABC was expected to “fulfil its statutory obligations”.

“In a letter to the Chair … in February, I noted the government’s expectation for more detailed reporting on the ABC’s rural and regional activities, its enhanced news gathering program, and its provision of Australian content,” the minister’s letter says.

“Another area where it is important for the ABC to retain and enhance public confidence is in vigilantly fulfilling its statutory obligation to present news and information that is accurate and imp­artial according to the recognised standards of objective journalism.

“True friends of the ABC would recognise the broadcaster should not be the platform for any partic­ular ideology or political position.”

Mr Fletcher’s letter was not read out at the event on Sunday.

Among those to address the ABC Friends event was former ABC 7.30 host Kerry O’Brien, who accused Mr Fletcher of only choosing to support the national broadcaster on the cusp of a federal election.

Former ABC 7.30 host Kerry O’Brien. Picture: Nine

“Now in the shadow of another election, suddenly the minister for the ABC, who was unable to accept the Friends’ invitation to front you today, scrambles to undo the freeze imposed by the Turnbull government on the automatic annual adjustments for inflation which effectively amounted to cutting another $40 million a year,” he said.

O’Brien said many independent candidates at the federal election had voiced their concerns about the ABC’s funding.

Opposition communications spokeswoman Michelle Rowland told the event: “We encourage Minister Fletcher to do the right thing. To walk towards the light, which can’t be easy when a large chunk of your party room want to cancel the ABC entirely.”

Several former high-profile ABC journalists, including O’Brien, Jonathan Holmes and Quentin Dempster have partnered with far-left activist group GetUp during the election campaign to warn of a move by the federal Liberal party to privatise the national broadcaster.

This is despite Mr Fletcher publicly stating that there are no plans to do so.