Mission for Ita: deliver ABC back to the people

Scott Morrison wants the ABC to “protect” its audience, not focus on ­itself, and his captain’s call will ensure a new focus.

Ita Buttrose at the announcement of her ABC role as chairwoman. Picture: Adam Taylor

Scott Morrison has called on the ABC to “protect” its viewers and listeners and not focus on ­itself, claiming that his captain’s call appointment of Ita Buttrose as the new chairwoman of the public broadcaster would ensure the focus was on its audiences.

The Prime Minister told The Australian he believed the ABC’s primary purpose was to “look after the people that the ABC serves”, and the media pioneer and former Australian of the Year was the ­perfect person to uphold that ­principle.

“The ABC is not an end in ­itself,” Mr Morrison said following confirmation that Ms Buttrose would become only the second woman to chair the ABC, as ­revealed by The Australian.

“It is there to provide an outstanding service to the Australian people. It is about its viewers and its listeners and its readers … they are the ones that need to be protected­ to make sure the ABC delivers for them.

“I believe they do provide for those viewers and Australians more broadly … it is about protecting those services to them and not the service provider. This is why I commended Ita as such a good choice. She has always focused on the reader and viewer.”

Labor has criticised the process underpinning Ms Buttrose’s appointmen­t but Mr Morrison said proper process had been followe­d. The reasons for his rejection of the recommendations of an independent panel — believed to have been all men — would be provided to the Senate as required.

The Prime Minister’s recom­mend­ation of Ms Buttrose was overwhelmingly endorsed by ­cabinet this week.

 

Communications Minister Mitch Fifield told The Australian last night:“I want all Australians to have a real sense of ownership of the ABC. It doesn’t belong to any cohort within or without.

“The public are the shareholders and the organisation is there to serve them. And a billion dollars of community shareholder money each year means the ABC has greater funding certainty than any other media organisation and is well placed to discharge its charte­r responsibilities.”

Senator Fifield said he was “keen to see the ABC continue to honour its important role in rural and regional Australia, and to cover those issues and people that don’t always get the media focus they deserve, such as farming communities, older Australians and people with disability”.

Labor sources said Mr Morrison called Bill Shorten yesterday morning to inform him of cabinet’s decision on Tuesday. It is understood that the Labor leader questione­d the process of selecting Ms Buttrose but had been informed­ that the proper independent process had been adhered to.

Ms Buttrose said yesterday there was “room for improvement” when pressed on whether the public broadcaster was too one-sided in its journalism, but argue­d most Australians believed it had the balance right.

“Eighty per cent of Australians say we’re unbiased, 80 per cent of Australians say that they trust our news more than they trust any other kind of information, so we must be doing something right — but look, there’s always room for improvement,” Ms Buttrose said.

The Opposition Leader said he had “no objections to Ita Buttrose” and described her as a “distinguished Australian”.

“But this government spent your money, taxpayer money, to have an independent process and then it’s chosen to ignore the whole independent process,” Mr Shorten said.

“Now the reason why you have an independent process when it comes to the ABC is that there’s certain jobs that should be above politics. But I can’t think of any job where it’s more important to be above politics than being the chair of the ABC.” He accused the govern­ment of “politically interfering” with the process.

Under legislation introduced by Labor, the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet is empower­ed to reject recommend­ations from the independent panel and appoint a new chairperson.

The act requires the secretary of PM&C to enact an independent nomination committee when a vacancy­ arises. A recruitment firm is engaged to consult to the panel, which is required to make at least three recommendations to government. The government has no visibility of the process. But it is not obliged to accept any of the recommendations. If it chooses to select a candidate outside the recommendations it is only required to table a statement of reasons to the parliament within 15 sitting days.

Senator Fifield has accepted recommendations of the panel for board positions roughly 50 per cent of the time.

The appointment of Ms Buttrose, 77, came five months after the ABC board imploded, following the sacking of managing ­director Michelle Guthrie and subsequent resignation of chairman Justin Milne.

The original all-male shortlist was believed to have included ­Gilbert+Tobin managing partner Danny Gilbert, former Fairfax Media chief executive Greg Hywood­, former News Corp Aust­ralia chief executive Kim Williams and Holding Redlich national managing partner Ian Robertson.

Ms Buttrose said she was “very honoured” to have been asked to chair the ABC, having grown up with the organisation, and vowed to rebuild and fight for its independ­ence. “My father worked at the ABC for a number of years and when he retired he was assistant general manager, so I do know the culture of the ABC particularly well, and I wish my dad was still alive to see me here today but he’s not,” she said.