By Jill Hickson
The Senate inquiry into possible commercial influence over ABC television programming appears to have largely evaded the larger issue of the commercialisation of the ABC by the federal Labor government.
An interim report made available to the ABC management but not to the public led to an ABC statement announcing immediate changes to editorial policies. Chairperson Mark Armstrong said that the ABC would "reject any future proposal where a private sector investor or public sector trading agency has a commercial interest in the content of any information or documentary program".
The story began on September 18, when Channel Nine's Sunday program revealed that ABC programs have been receiving funding by corporations and businesses which were featured on the programs they funded.
Sunday interviewed ABC journalist Tracee Hutchison, who worked on the program Great Ideas. She said she had been told that her report on the Alcan aluminium company had been paid for by the company, which expected a positive view.
Eric Campbell, a former reporter with the ABC's program Holiday who now works for the 7.30 Report, said that journalists on the program were left in no doubt their future employment depended on sponsors being happy with the final product.
When he got the job on the program, he was told that although it was partially sponsored by the tourism commissions, they would have no control over editorial content. Yet he referred to a 1991 letter from one of the backers of Holiday, the Australian Tourism Industry Association, which caused consternation among staff because it suggested the association had an "understanding" with the producers.
Financial backing by the private sector and government departments of ABC "co-productions" has been part of federal Labor government policy of commercialising the ABC.
According to the Greens (WA) Senator Christabel Chamarette, who joined forces with the Democrats and the Liberal/National opposition to establish the Senate inquiry, a number of issues in regard to the ABC are cause for concern.
Chamarette had tried previously to initiate an inquiry into the sacking of the Queensland 7.30 Report presenter, Pamela Bornhorst. She pointed to issues like the failure of Australian Television International to penetrate its target market; the proposed abolition of ABC regional television news; program sponsorship rules; the continuing high level of resignations and departures of ABC staff; appointments to the board which include allegations of the government trying to stack the board.
The relationship between the ABC board and management is at an all time low. There have also been indications that problems exist with the Asian satellite service, and there is controversy over ABC's involvement with pay TV.
Since Channel Nine's expose, it has been revealed that a senior ABC executive, Peter Manning, then head of television news and current affairs, raised with the ABC management the fact that commercial funding would compromise the integrity of programs and was flouting ABC guidelines. Quentin Dempster, staff representative on the ABC Board, originally took the claims to senior television management and decided to submit them to the board after an unsatisfactory response.
The Senate inquiry heard from John Millard, a reporter on The Investigators, who provided 16 examples of alleged commercial influence on ABC programming. This documentation was submitted to the ABC Board in June 1993 but was ignored.
Creeping privatisation is occurring through contracts for the production of program series by private production companies, which are able to seek corporate funding, although this is subject to approval by the ABC Board.
Employees and unions have been concern about the situation at the ABC for some time. They were unhappy about the Senate inquiry because they felt its terms of reference and the protection being offered to employees were vague. The Democrats moved to broaden the inquiry terms to look at whether the level of budget funding had been responsible for the ABC's dependence on external funding.