Almost five months since Justin Milne spectacularly resigned as ABC chair, his replacement is now just weeks away from being announced. Since he resigned, media commentators have been speculating on who Prime Minister Scott Morrison will appoint to clean up the mess left after Milne and former managing director Michelle Guthrie’s explosive fallout.
So who are the media tipping?
Greg Hywood
The former managing director of Fairfax (RIP) Greg Hywood is one of Media Watch‘s picks for the job, and has been widely tipped as the favourite since Milne’s resignation. Hywood has previously been one of the ABC’s loudest critics from the commercial media, arguing that its websites were putting unfair pressure on commercial news media (since debunked by a competitive neutrality inquiry into the ABC and SBS).
If Hywood is appointed to the role, the decision is likely to be met with widespread criticism. In a thinly veiled plea from the ABC Alumni organisation, former ABC staffers wrote in an open letter in January warning against a chair “who has displayed bias against the national broadcaster’s comprehensive role in Australian society”.
“Commercial media executives who lobbied to restrict the ABC’s online activities and confine it to areas regarded as uneconomic for commercial media should be disqualified from consideration,” they wrote.
During his time at Fairfax, Hywood was known for driving his Maserati, and overseeing repeated and ugly cuts at the company’s newspapers in a difficult media environment.
Kim Williams
Media Watch suggested Kim Williams would be too left-leaning for the Coalition to pick him as Milne’s replacement, but his extensive media experience means he has also been repeatedly tipped as a possible replacement. Williams has led News Corp Australia (which ended because he and Rupert Murdoch “had different views of the world”) and News Corp’s Foxtel, is currently chair of the Copyright Agency, and is a former professional clarinet player and composer.
Ian Robertson
Media lawyer Ian Robertson is the current president of Film Victoria, appointed after allegations of misspending and poor governance at the organisation were raised. He has previously held positions on the Australian Broadcasting Authority board, the Screen Australia board and AusFilm. He has also previously worked as in-house counsel for The Age. While Robertson was at the Australian Broadcasting Authority, he was on the three-person panel for the cash-for-comment inquiry, and was also involved in the auction of new commercial FM radio licences, the introduction of digital TV and radio and local news content quotas in regional Australia.
Danny Gilbert
Back in November, The Australian Financial Review tipped Danny Gilbert as the favourite for the job, as it also did in 2017 before Milne’s appointment. He was reportedly recommended for the role, but that was overturned by then-prime minister Malcolm Turnbull to appoint Milne. The Sydney lawyer and managing partner of firm Gilbert and Tobin is probably another one who’s “too left-leaning” for the Coalition according to Media Watch. Opposition spokesperson for communications Michelle Rowland worked at his firm for 10 years.
Shaun Micallef..
if scummo wins the election it will probably be Tony Rabbott as chair, or perhaps Anal jones (no its not a spelling mistake) or Andrew Dolt, maybe even Rayleen Hadley (the big girls blouse) I`m sure that Snitch Cornfield has some right wing nutcase lined up for this cushy job of destroying the ABC.
I was about to type none of the above. But then Jaybuoy comes up with the best candidate since
Talbot Duckmanton . 🙂
Let us cut to the chase. If Greg Hywood is appointed, then the PM and the great Mitch will be displayed as thumbing their noses at public broadcasting and the community in general which has an over 80% trust in the ABC. We need an appointment of someone committed to the ABC and the importance of its contribution across so many areas – including ensuring that in democratic (?) Australia the community has choices. It may not help his candidacy but I throw all my hopes behind Ian Robertson, as clearly Prof Fiona Stanley is not even to be considered.
Quentin Dempster would be a wonderful ABC chair! He is passionate about having an independent public broadcaster, has extensive experience in broadcasting and has worked at, knows and understands the ABC.
Yes, pigs might fly! I certainly can’t imagine the current government choosing Quentin and Labor would be far too timid!
So, of those listed, I would like to see Kim Williams get the job as Chair. He too has extensive media experience and despite having been in the Murdoch camp, I have the uimpression that he’d be bipatisan in his dealings. I also think/trust he believes in an independent broadcaster as being essential for our democracy. I think choosing Kim Williams would give the coalition some brownie points too. A win/win choice perhaps?
Sounds (almost) like some lyrics by Australian Crawl ‘the boys line up…line up…line up”
Sounds (almost) like some lyrics by Australian Crawl ‘the boys line up…line up…line up”