Friends of ABC told Radio Australia is safe

In response to a letter from Friends of the ABC in March, voicing concerns about the combination of Radio Australia with Australia’s overseas TV service, the ABC’s Director of Corporate Affairs has written to Friends president Terry Laidler.

The letter says:

Thank you for your letter… concerning the operations of ABC International Broadcasting Division. The Managing Director has asked me to respond on his behalf.

As you are aware, the establishment of the International Broadcasting Division brings together Radio Australia and ABC Asia Pacific under a single management structure. This arrangement does not in any way alter the separate identities of the two bodies or the editorial processes or lines of control for which their separate managements remain responsible.

I note your comments about perceptions of interference by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, but I do not accept that the structural arrangements implemented would tend to increase the likelihood of either real or perceived interference by the Department in the editorial functions of Radio Australia. In the case of ABC Asia Pacific, the contract between the ABC and the Department… recognises categorically that editorial responsibility lies entirely with the ABC.

The ABC recently announced the appointments of Ian Carroll and John Doherty to senior management positions in ABC Asia Pacific, to ensure that the network operations and distribution activities of the service are in highly experienced and capable hands. Similarly, the leadership of Radio Australia is highly experienced and well accustomed to providing international broadcasting services consistent with the requirements of the ABC Act and Editorial Policies.

Additionally, the ABC has convened the International Broadcasting Management Group, which will include the above senior managers and the Directors of News and Current Affairs and Content Rights Management. This group will meet on a monthly basis to oversee the operations of the International Broadcasting Division.

The ABC firmly believes that establishing the Division is the best arrangement for both Radio Australia and ABC Asia Pacific, particularly in the present international environment. As well as the opportunity for more coordinated operations and more effective cross promotion, the arrangement provides a stronger profile for Radio Australia within the Corporation.

It also ensures that the ABC is able to take advantage of opportunities to extend the reach of Radio Australia through rebroadcasting and other contemporary delivery mechanisms on the back of delivery of ABC Asia Pacific in the region. International audiences will have the choice of more integrated television, radio and online offerings, which build on the ABC’s reputation for authoritative, independent public broadcasting in the region.

The separate funding for ABC Asia Pacific is quarantined within the Corporation, as it has been since the service commenced at the end of 2001. There will be no diversion of resources from Radio Australia to ABC Asia Pacific.


Yours sincerely, Geoffrey Crawford, Director of Corporate Affairs