Scott Morrison backs Senate ABC inquiry, saying national broadcaster ‘not above scrutiny’
Scott Morrison has backed a Senate inquiry into the public broadcasters’ handling of complaints, after extraordinary pushback from the ABC chair, Ita Buttrose, that it amounted to “political interference”.
Morrison said the ABC was a government agency and “nobody was above the scrutiny of the Senate”, rejecting suggestions the ABC had been singled out for special treatment.
On Thursday the Senate environment and communications legislation committee, chaired by Liberal senator Andrew Bragg, announced a snap inquiry into complaints handling by the ABC and SBS, to report by 28 February.
The inquiry was announced after the ABC’s complaints division told Fox News it had not upheld any of the complaints made in a lengthy submission about a Four Corners program on Fox News, aired in August.
In a blistering statement on Sunday, Buttrose called on the Senate to act to “defend the independence of the ABC” by passing a motion to terminate or suspend the inquiry until an independent process commissioned by the ABC Board last month had been completed.
“This is an act of political interference designed to intimidate the ABC and mute its role as this country’s most trusted source of public interest journalism,” she said.
On Monday Buttrose, who was appointed ABC chair by the Morrison government in 2019, described the relationship with the government as “strained”.
“We do look at powerful people, we do investigate situations and sometimes there are situations where people wish we wouldn’t go,” she told Radio National.
“I think it would be much better if the government and the national broadcaster had a better relationship. We are not the enemy.”
Buttrose questioned whether the
government believed that “politicians should be able to meddle and dictate to the national broadcaster about content” adding “because that’s where this is leading”.
Asked about the controversy on Monday, Morrison said that it was a “matter for the Senate” and “there is nobody above the scrutiny of the Senate”.
Morrison noted the government had to respond to Senate inquiries, including scrutiny of the chief medical officer through the Covid-19 committee.
“[The ABC] is a government agency, they have their independence and nobody is questioning that, but that are not above the scrutiny of how they conduct themselves, using taxpayers money from any other government agency,” he said.
“That is business as usual for the Australian parliament. I don’t know why they would consider themselves an exception to business as usual.”
On Monday, Bragg said he was a “supporter of the ABC” but had pushed for the inquiry in response to “community feedback” from groups including veterans and multicultural groups.
Labor’s representative on the communications committee, Senator Nita Green, opposed the inquiry which was pushed through by the government’s majority.
On Monday, Green rejected suggestions from Bragg that the inquiry was not partisan, noting that he had used the legislation committee where the government has a majority rather than seek Senate support to refer the issue for inquiry.