Public radio barred from NSW budget lockup
By Sean Malloy
SYDNEY — Three journalists from public radio station 2SER-FM was denied entry to the September 15 NSW budget "lockup".
According to current affairs producer Stafford Sanders, 2SER has never had a problem attending the NSW budget lockups in the past. But this year the station was given a bureaucratic run-around before finally being told "2SER has never been to the lockup" and that the lockup is "only for mainstream media" by Treasury official Betty Conn.
Sanders said the decision "is highly unsatisfactory. The way the decision was made was also extremely confrontational; it didn't involve any consultation with us, any forewarning, any discussion about criteria used to decide who can and cannot gain entry to the lockup. It flew in the face of the past two years' procedure, where we were allowed access on behalf of the public media."
On September 15, budget day, Sanders talked to Conn in a last-minute attempt to clear up the matter. Conn repeated that the lockup was only for mainstream media. When asked how it had been decided that 2SER was not "mainstream", Conn replied, "Society decides that".
Sanders found the use of "mainstream" unacceptable. "We've asked the government to clarify if they have a definition of mainstream that involves numbers of listeners.
"The latest research about public radio audiences indicates ... 50% of the population are listening to public radio occasionally, 25% regularly and in Sydney 2SER alone is commanding 9% of the population listening once a week.
"If mainstream is based on something else, for example political views, willingness to comply lamely with agendas and issues set by government, then it is a very serious concern in terms of freedom of speech and diversity of media access to public decision making."
Sanders has written a letter on behalf of 2SER to the Premier's Department explaining the situation and requesting a written apology and guaranteed access to future budget lockups.
The station has gained support from state MPs Clover Moore and Richard Jones. The Australian Journalists Association has also sent a letter of concern to Fahey's office.