The ABC can’t even bury its dead with any dignity

Former ABC Chairman Justin Milne at his Sydney home yesterday. Picture: AAP

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation is paid for by tax­payers. It is wholly owned by the government and manages to go through a billion dollars every year.

Successive governments have picked board members who share their political bent. Chairman after chairman has come and gone, and they have had precious little success in turning the ABC to one side or another. No one at the ABC considers themselves a public servant despite the fact they are fully funded by us all. Hence the staff could have meetings all over the country to unanimously recommend that Justin Milne should be sacked as chairman, and individuals with high profiles could say some pretty nasty things about the latest head to roll earlier this week — that of managing director ­Michelle Guthrie.

At the moment you cannot open a newspaper, scroll through social media or turn on the radio or television without being assailed with stories on the confused state of the public broadcaster.

The role of the chairman was rightly questioned. He was appointed by Malcolm Turnbull and apparently was in the unusual position of being a friend of the former PM. Very few Australians would be prepared to admit that.

Guthrie’s contract gave the board the right to sack her without the need to justify its ­action, and to be able to do it without notice and without giving her the most basic of rights — that is, the right to ­defend herself against claims of ­incompetence or deficiencies in the manner in which she carried out her duties.

This seems unfair but if she was mug enough to sign such a contract, I believe she has little hope of fighting on in the courts.

The ABC staff felt she didn’t stick up for them. I’m not quite sure how they come to this conclusion, given not much has changed in the way complaints about on-air performers are handled. Under Guthrie’s watch, the wagons were still circling around anyone ­accused of getting their facts wrong or not giving the target of a piece a fair chance to put the other side of the case.

When Emma ­Alberici got her economics horribly wrong, a proper apology was never given. That is an area where a board could step in. It has never been made clear where the powers of the board begin or end.

The board should be able to set policy going forward, but staffing should always remain the province of the chief executive. The past few days demonstrate the folly of the way Milne sacked Guthrie. My old mentor was John Ducker, a Yorkshire-born immigrant who had little or no education but was undoubtedly the wisest man I ever met. He told me that you should always “bury your dead” generously. He knew that a vengeful person with nothing to lose could wreak havoc.

If I had sent the emails that Milne is said to have sent to ­Guthrie, I would fear their incendiary nature if released publicly. If he were alive today in the age of the internet, I am sure Ducker would say don’t put anything in an email that you would not like to see on the front page.

Demanding Guthrie “get rid of Alberici” or “shoot” Andrew Pro­byn in emails would suggest this bloke Milne was not very bright. Particularly if he never developed a good relationship with Guthrie, proceeding to punt her and leave her bereft of a shred of dignity. He could only be a fool if he did not ­expect the backlash that ­engulfed him. When you are ­appointed the chairman of a body whose very charter guarantees its independence, you cannot be seen to act as a cipher for any ­government.

In any event, Milne had dismally failed to deliver on the main reason for giving him the job. He was supposed to make the ABC less biased against the government and less pro-Greens or pro-Labor.

I know I will upset some of my friends of the ABC, but I do believe the broadcaster’s news and current affairs has strayed too far to the left.

I grew up watching James Dibble deliver a first-class news bulletin that was considered by everyone as the real deal. It was news with little editorialising, and it was ­believed. Now too often I see bias, and while if it is anti-Coalition it might suit me personally, I am not so sure it is helpful for Australians in general.

It was always going to be the case that any pressure on this front would draw fierce opposition from the troops, but there is little evidence that Milne even attempted to push for a slight shift in culture. All he managed to do, in an amazingly clumsy manner, was demand the sacking of two individuals.

Now of course Bill Shorten will be demanding to know who in the government told Milne that two presenters had to be sacked. The minister, Mitch ­Fifield, has emphatically denied he did it, so we are left to wonder if one of New York’s new arrivals tipped him off.

This saga is set to continue but Scott Morrison needs there to be no distractions as he seeks to create a new narrative for the government. One thing is clear: there will be no culture shift at the ABC anytime soon.

I would like to finish off today with a plea to those who choose the Australian of the Year. On Tuesday night on Richo on Sky ­News, I interviewed the Reverend Bill Crews. He runs the Loaves & Fishes restaurant in a church in Sydney’s Ashfield. This man is a truly great Australian who has lived his life to serve others. He told me that on any given night there are more than 8000 sleeping rough in Sydney alone. He does all he can to help them and is now ­organising food vans to reach those who can’t reach him.

He draws a tiny salary and doesn’t drive around in a Mercedes. He is humble and never seeks fame or recognition for his good work. Aided and abetted by the likes of John Singleton, he has been fortunate enough to have the wherewithal to cater for some of the homeless. If we could all do something to help them we would be aiding the worthiest of causes and the worthiest human being I know.

I have nothing against doctors, scientists or generals, but I believe it is time that someone who is not well off and works at the coalface of poverty and mental illness should be recognised.