ABC boss shifts focus out of inner city

Managing director David Anderson is determined that the national broadcaster fully represents contemporary Australia.

ABC managing director David Anderson believes the national broadcaster must fully reflect contemporary Australia. Picture: Nikki Short

ABC managing director David Anderson says his top priority is overhauling the public broadcaster to appeal to Australians from the suburbs, regions and different ethnic backgrounds.

The ABC veteran, who took over the reins 13 months ago following the controversial axing of Michelle Guthrie over her performance, says the TV and radio broadcaster “should look and sound like and have staff that represents contemporary Australia”.

“When people talk about my priorities, the number one thing is that we reflect the diversity of this country, and in all its forms,” Mr Anderson told The Australian in an interview at his office at ABC’s Sydney headquarters in Ultimo.

“That’s not just diversity of background that is diversity that sits between regional Australia, metropolitan Australia and outer suburban Australia, its socio-economic. I think that it’s something that we can improve on, and something that we need to constantly strive to do,” he said.

Mr Anderson, 49, who is leading an extensive review of the ABC’s broadcast and online operations, including its controversial website ABC Life, in a bid to fill its $84m three-year funding hole, said he “won’t shy away” from improving the broadcaster’s diversity on-air and across its workforce.

“We want to make sure that we reflect our audience,” he said.

“We want to represent the diversity that is currently in contemporary Australia.”

Mr Anderson, along with his senior management team are working on a five-year blueprint for the ABC. Their efforts are expected to lead to a leaner organisation and job cuts in March. The federal govern­ment confirmed in April that the ABC’s $1bn annual funding would be frozen for three years, costing $15m in the current financial year and $28m and $41m in the next two years.

Mr Anderson, who has worked his way up the ranks at the ABC over the past three decades, played down the possible introduction of quotas after chairwoman Ita Buttrose flagged the broadcaster could “change the rules” on hiring.

That led Liberal Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells to reignite calls for the ABC to be merged with multicultural broadcaster SBS.

Australia is unique in that it has two public broadcasters, compared to the UK’s BBC, which has vast broadcast and online operations, plus several commercial divisions.

Despite budgetary pressures and fierce competition from technology giants such as Google and Facebook hitting the broader media industry, Mr Anderson doesn’t see merit in the nation’s two public broadcasters merging.

“SBS has a different model to us, I think they receive a bit over $200m per annum from the Australian government and it’s supplemented by commercialisation of their rights, which means they can do things we can’t do.

“I think it’s about $120m per annum, and I think they would argue that $120m per annual funds some of the other things that they do that services the Australian people,” he said.

“I just don’t see how a merger with SBS is helpful.”