Let’s see how this goes.
The ABC has stepped into a whole new realm with the appointment of an ombudsman, named last night as former media executive Fiona Cameron. The new role adds yet another layer of accountability when it comes to audience complaints. The bold step is that the inaugural appointee has no journalism record. How will this play out if and when Four Corners offends a hostile government?
As it happens, the odds of that occurring have markedly reduced with the end of the perpetually aggressive Coalition government in Canberra, which had acted as a key ally for News Corporation in its never-ending mission to be rid of the public broadcaster for its own commercial ends. It is therefore possible that Cameron steps into the role when it is needed least.
But what does her appointment mean inside the ABC?
Cameron moves into the position having spent the past four years as a full-time member at the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). ACMA adjudicates complaints against the ABC from people unhappy with its internal complaints handling. So Cameron’s technical experience is a neat match for what the ABC’s new ombudsman will do.
But it’s Cameron’s previous experience in what the ABC’s official announcement calls “various political adviser roles at the state and federal level” that is likely to trigger internal reactions. It turns out her unspecified “various political adviser roles” have been entirely with Liberal government figures.
Let’s go from the beginning.
In 1990 Cameron was press secretary for the member for Maranoa, then Queensland Nationals Party MP Bruce Scott.
In 1994 she switched to the office of Victorian Liberal MP Don Hayward, who was minister for education in the Kennett government.
In 1995 she became chief of staff for Victorian Liberal senator Richard Alston. Her LinkedIn profile records that after the Coalition won the 1996 election, she took on the role of advising Alston on “all matters pertaining to media and broadcasting” when he was appointed minister for communications. She was also Alston’s chief parliamentary adviser.
For those engaged in the forever wars of the ABC, Alston holds a particular place in history. His hostility to the ABC came in various forms. One was the appointment of Jonathan Shier to the role of ABC managing director, who arrived with a remit to remake the place. Alston also distinguished himself by lodging 68 complaints about coverage of the Iraq war by the flagship current affairs program AM.
It is important to underline that Cameron was no longer on Alston’s staff at that point. But Alston’s ABC hostility went back a long way.
Cameron has since been appointed to other roles that are ultimately in the gift of the Coalition government. In 2003 she was appointed to the board of the Australian Film Television and Radio School by Howard government attorney-general Philip Ruddock (or Daryl Williams — there is a date overlap). Members of ACMA, too, are appointed by the government of the day. Government relations have never been far from what she does.
So what guide do we have for Cameron’s new role? ACMA has investigated a handful of high-profile complaints against the ABC during her term as a member, which started in 2018. The results have been a mixed bag for those who consider the ABC a hotbed of lefty bias.
ACMA found no breach of the ABC standards over an allegation that an episode of Q+A about conflicts between Israel and Palestinians in Gaza lacked accuracy and impartiality. On the other hand it upheld two complaints about a Four Corners episode on the Murray-Darling Basin.
The appointment of Cameron will be a form of Rorschach test inside the ABC. Those who suspect political motives may well see it in Cameron’s past. The members of the ABC board who made the appointment have, of course, largely been appointed by the former Coalition government. Whether there is any substance to the fear of political bias remains to be seen.
But one thing’s for sure. The ABC has sidestepped any culture war it might have brought on with the appointment of any former ABC grandee or indeed any titan of the journalism world.
Very poor appointment! The Ombudsman (in whatever capacity) must not only be neutral, but like Caesar’s wife, be SEEN to be neutral. Appointing someone with a long history of work with some of the most reactionary LNP members is a definite no-no.
Happy enough to wait a bit and see how Cameron performs, but someone needs to be watching closely and reporting.
I wonder if she would submit to a grilling by someone like Sarah Ferguson to explain her history in the service of ABC haters?
It’s appalling. Another nail in the coffin of the ABC. Not worth watching anymore. I get my news from Crikey, Guardian, New York Times, Michael West.
Me too. Have not watched ABC news for weeks and sky spews speersy is consigned to the rubbish bin forever.
And me. Is the ABC even aware that we have had a general election which has given the country a different party in charge now? Looking at the afternoon reporters in particular, I don’t think the ABC has caught up on last month’s result yet.
Not a source breaking news but for intelligent discussion of issues it is hard to beat John Menadue’s Pearls & Irritations – no paywall or subscription but dependent on voluntary donations.
Add The Saturday Paper and various substack subscriptions.
The trouble for the ABC is now that I have alternative news sources that I’m happy with, even if the ABC does improve it’s got some work in front of it tempting me back.
No,don’t give up on them – that is just what the hard right wants everybody to do. Stick around, pay attention and do the hard work to constantly criticize the many failings of the board, the journos and the politicians. Write/email them, use social media, comment btl etc, Let them and others know and don’t quit – the ABC at its best is a prize worth fighting for and it can be retrieved.
So this looks like a last win of the Coalition government. Continual carping and criticism, along with board appointments, cowed the ABC into creating the position and then filling it with a non-journalist political creature. Labor should be making it a priority this term to make institutional changes that strengthen and protect the independence of the ABC, as well as its economic security. Two elected staff board members being mandatory would be a good start. As I understand it, in practice at present a staff board member position exists when Labor is in government and disappears under the Coalition.
The ABC should be insulated from the party political concerns of the government of the day and the urgings of the vested interests entangled with them. The ABC does pretty well in this area but it relies on the strong culture of the journalists and program makers to do so. This is laudable but it must also be exhausting and is unfair. It no doubt occupies energy that could be better employed in producing, news, information and documentation and entertainment.
Blame Bragg AP. He was relentless is pushing this through just so he could say to Rupes “look at what I’ve done for you Unc. Don’tforget me when Iget thrown out of government”. Unfortunately that didn’t transpire. Just anothe LNP CREEP.
I always believed that a key ministerial appointment in the LNP was that of ” minister for complaining about the ABC” Alston was without peer.
Seems these days that ‘an appearance/perception’ of possible wrong doing (now or in future) is no longer a good standard. Now you need to let them wreak havoc first and then firmly prove it and then wonder if anything will be done about it.