Labor fires fresh shot in ABC and SBS wars

Labor has accused the Coalition of attempting to regulate the ABC and SBS by ‘stealth’, heralding a fresh battle over political interference.

Communications Minister Paul Fletcher. Picture: Wayne Taylor

Labor has accused the Coalition of trying to regulate the ABC and SBS by “stealth”, heralding a fresh pre-election battle over political interference in Australia’s nat­ional broadcasters.

On Monday, the federal government announced the ABC would receive a boost in taxpayer funding to $3.28bn over the next three years, while SBS was awarded $953.7m over the same period – deals warmly welcomed by the respective media organisations.

In letters to the managing ­directors of the ABC and SBS, Communications Minister Paul Fletcher outlined the funding hikes and attached “statements of expectations” that requested greater transparency over how the ABC and SBS spend their news budgets, staff regional newsrooms and deliver adequate Australian content.

On Tuesday, Labor communications spokeswoman Michelle Rowland said Mr Fletcher’s ­requests for heightened transparency at the ABC and SBS were “concerning”.

“Make no mistake, Mr Fletcher’s ‘statement of expectations’ requiring additional regional ­reporting is a form of regulation by stealth, and the notion the ­national broadcasters should comply with this minister’s ­expectations as a quid pro quo for funding is wholly unacceptable,” she said.

“The decision on whether to provide additional reporting is entirely a matter for the ABC and SBS, who already provide transparency in a range of ways.

“While Labor has no issue with transparency and reporting in principle, we note it may be used as an avenue for political interference in the national broad­casters, in certain circumstances, and we reject this minister’s governance invention.”

Responding to Labor’s claim that the minister’s letters to the ABC and SBS represented a political “incursion” on the national broadcasters, a spokesman for Mr Fletcher said: “The Morrison government is a strong supporter of our national broadcasters and their independence, as this week’s announcement highlighted. Ms Rowland sees the ABC principally as an opportunity to score political points and for political fundraising.”

In his letters, Mr Fletcher did not suggest the funding increases to the national broadcasters were contingent on their meeting his requests.

“In setting out the expectations contained in this letter, the government continues to recognise and respect the ABC’s statutory independence and the legislative requirement that it perform its functions free from government interference or ­direction, including the freedom to choose its broadcasting and content (subject to some limitations),” Mr Fletcher wrote.

“Nothing in this letter is to be taken as a direction issued to the ABC by or on behalf of the government.”

A spokesman for the ABC said: “The minister has written to the chair about the statement of ­expectations and it will be considered by the ABC board in due course.”

Ms Rowland welcomed the “improvement” in government funding for the national broad­casters, but suggested the issue would remain a point of political attack in the lead-up to the federal election. “While the government is desperate for Australians to think the funding wars are over, it would appear incursions on ABC and SBS independence will only continue under Scott Morrison,” she said.

“The key expectation that matters is the independence of the ABC and SBS.”

Writing in The Australian on Monday, Mr Fletcher said the ABC executive and editorial staff should be alive to attempts by Labor to politicise the national broadcaster in an election year.

“The board and ABC editorial staff will need to resist the siren-call of the Labor Party,” Mr Fletcher said.

“Labor will do everything it can to politicise the ABC and has already, revealingly, launched a fundraising drive on that basis. When Anthony Albanese uses the #ourabc hashtag on Twitter, we all know what he’s driving at.”