Coronavirus: ABC’s cash-for-Covid doctor slammed for seeking access to federal GP advisory contract

Craig Kelly has accused Norman Swan of a ‘conflict of interest’ as a company he is board director of bids to win a government-funded COVID-19 campaign.

The accusation follows a report in The Weekend Australian covering a company Norman Swan co-founded uncuscessfully pitching for a federal government campaign. Picture: Twitter

Craig Kelly has accused ABC health broadcaster Norman Swan of a “conflict of interest” for criticising Scott Morrison’s coronavirus strategy while a company on which he sat as a board director was bidding to win the contract for a lucrative government-funded COVID-19 media campaign to educate GPs across the country.

Federal Liberal MP Mr Kelly said it was disappointing Dr Swan had been making “alarmist predictions” about coronavirus as an employee of the taxpayer-funded ABC, and seeking more taxpayer money from COVID-19-related government contracts to advise the medical profession.

The accusation by Mr Kelly follows a report in The Weekend Australian that Tonic Health Media, a company co-founded by Dr Swan, unsuccessfully pitched last month for work funded by the federal government to produce educational videos about coronavirus for GPs.

Dr Swan, host of ABC Radio National’s The Health Report and a frequent guest on flagship ABC television programs, has been the face of the national broadcaster’s COVID-19 coverage.

When Australia’s infection rate was climbing last month, and Dr Swan’s company Tonic was bidding for the government contract, he was issuing dire warnings on ABC programs and social media about the likely spread of COVID-19 in the community unless there was more urgent and tougher action. He urged school shutdowns and chided the Morrison government for not following New Zealand’s lead. Dr Swan said he had been “upfront” with ABC management regarding Tonic’s COVID-19-related productions, and promised there would be no conflict with his on-air role for the broadcaster.

Dr Swan says while he is Tonic’s executive director, sits on its board and continues to serve as supervising producer to vet the clinical accuracy of company productions, his shareholding is now less than 5 per cent after past capital raisings. While he was aware Tonic was bidding for the government-funded GPs video, he said he did not know the company had been unsuccessful until contacted by The Weekend Australian, when he checked with Tonic’s sales manager.

ABC radio host Adam Spencer rallied behind Dr Swan, calling the report about his colleague “an attempted hatchet job”. Spencer said on Twitter: “Norman Swan is a man of such integrity that he will still criticise the government even though a company of which he is a director (at arm’s length) may be bidding for government work.”

All I get from this “exclusive report” (attempted hatchet job?) is that Norman Swan is a man of such integrity that he will still criticise the Govt even though a company of which he is a director (at arm’s length) may be bidding for Govt work. https://t.co/wJqZ8ZOMH1

— Adam Spencer (@adambspencer) April 18, 2020

Liberal senator Eric Abetz said he wanted the ABC to answer questions he had asked in Senate estimates hearings about Dr Swan related to concerns about the broadcaster’s “activities and the ABC’s championing of him”. Senator Abetz said new information “just confirm those concerns”.

Mr Kelly described Dr Swan as the “Tim Flannery of the COVID-19 world” — a reference to the prominent Australian climate change campaigner — and claimed the broadcaster’s predictions had proved “alarmist and hopelessly wrong”.

With 6545 reported cases in Australia by late Sunday, including 72 deaths, Dr Swan acknowledges local testing and social-distancing rules introduced to combat the virus had put the nation in a strong position compared with most other countries.

Mr Kelly said it was disappointing Dr Swan had been making alarmist predictions while he was seeking to obtain government funds to advise GPs on COVID-19.