ABC Board

The ABC Board is the body responsible for the operations of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. [cite web | url = http://scaleplus.law.gov.au/html/histact/10/5029/0/HA000110.htm |title = Establishment of Australian Broadcasting Corporation Board |publisher= ScalePlus | accessdate=2006-11-26] It is made up of five to seven directors recommended by the government, a Managing Director appointed by the Board itself, and until 2006 a staff-elected director. [cite web | url = http://scaleplus.law.gov.au/html/histact/10/5029/0/HA000110.htm |title = Establishment of Australian Broadcasting Corporation Board |publisher= ScalePlus | accessdate=2006-11-26] cite web | url = http://scaleplus.law.gov.au/html/histact/10/5029/0/HA000170.htm |title = Membership of Board |publisher= ScalePlus | accessdate=2007-10-05] [ cite web
title = Restructure of ABC Board
publisher = Website of Senator the Hon Helen Coonan, Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts
url = http://www.minister.dcita.gov.au/media/media_releases/restructure_of_abc_board
accessdate = 2007-11-27]

Responsibilities

The board is responsible for ensuring that the functions of the ABC are performed efficiently and with the maximum benefit to the people of Australia, maintaining the integrity and independence of the Corporation, developing codes of practice related to programming (and informing ACMA of these), and ensuring that the Corporation complies with the provisions set out in the ABC Act.cite web | title = Membership of Board |url=http://scaleplus.law.gov.au/html/histact/10/5029/0/HA000170.htm |publisher=Scaleplus accessedate=2006-11-26] The Board is also responsible for ensuring that the gathering and presentation of news and information is accurate and impartial, according to recognised standards of journalism.cite web | title = Membership of Board |url=http://scaleplus.law.gov.au/html/histact/10/5029/0/HA000170.htm |publisher=Scaleplus accessedate=2006-11-26]

Members

The Governor-General, at the recommendation of the Federal Government, is responsible for appointing members, as specified in the "Australian Broadcasting Corporation Act 1983".cite web | url=http://www.abc.net.au/corp/board/about_board.htm |title= About the board | publisher= ABC Online |accessdate=2006-11-26] cite web
title = Australian Broadcasting Corporation Act 1983
publisher = Attorney-General's Department
url = http://scaleplus.law.gov.au/html/pasteact/0/43/top.htm
accessdate = 2007-10-01 ] The Act specifies that Directors must be experienced in broadcasting, communications or management, or have expertise in financial or technical matters, or have cultural or other interests relevant to the provision of broadcasting services. Each director services a term of five years, with eligibility for reappointment at the end of this term.cite web | title = Membership of Board |url=http://scaleplus.law.gov.au/html/histact/10/5029/0/HA000170.htm |publisher=Scaleplus accessedate=2006-11-26]

Directors are expected to follow the ABC Board Protocol, which stipulates responsibilities, expectations, rights, and benefits.

The board's members, since May, 2008:
*Mr Mark Scott - "Managing Director", appointed 5 July 2006cite web |url=http://www.abc.net.au/corp/board/board_members.htm |title=ABC Board Members |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |accessdate=2007-10-01]
*Mr Maurice Newman AC - "Chairperson", appointed 1 January 2007
*Ms Janet Albrechtsen - appointed 24 February 2005
*Mr Steven Skala - appointed 6 October 2005
*Mr Peter Hurley - appointed 14 June 2006
*Mr Keith Windschuttle - appointed 14 June 2006

The board also maintains an Advisory Council, which advices it on matters surrounding the Corporation's programming.cite web |url=http://www.abc.net.au/corp/nac/ |title=The ABC Advisory Council |publisher=ABC Online |accessedate=2007-07-29] The Council is made up of twelve members, broadly representative of the Australian community, which serve staggered four-year terms. Vacancies are advertised in September-October each year. The Advisory Council's current Chair is Dr Jane Munro, Head of International House at the University of Melbourne.

Appointment

ABC board members are currently directly appointed by the Minister for Communications.

Appointments to the board made by successive governments have often resulted in criticism of the appointees' political affiliation, background, and relative merit.cite web
title =Methods of appointment to the ABC Board: Chapter 2 - The selection criteria - who should be on the board?]
work =Senate Environment, Communications, Information Technology and the Arts Committee, ABC Board inquiry report
publisher = Parliament of Australia
month = September | year = 2001
url =http://www.aph.gov.au/senate/committee/ecita_ctte/completed_inquiries/1999-02/abcboard/report/c02.htm Above Board?
accessdate = 2006-11-04] cite news |title=Whose ABC? |url=http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2006/s1726253.htm |date=2006-08-26 |publisher=ABC Radio |accessdate=2007-10-13 ] Past appointments have associated directly with political parties - five of fourteen appointed chairmen have been accused of political affiliation or friendship, include Richard Downing and Ken Myer (both of whom publicly endorsed the Australian Labor Party at the 1972 election), as well as Sir Henry Bland. David Hill was close to Neville Wran, while Donald McDonald was considered to be a close friend of John Howard.cite web
last = Inglis
first = Ken
authorlink = Ken Inglis
title = Aunty at seventy: a health report on the ABC
work =
publisher = Friends of the ABC
date = 2002-11-13
url = http://friendsoftheabc.org/inglislecture.pdf
format = pdf
accessdate = ]

From 2003 the Howard government also made several controversial appointments to the ABC Board, including prominent ABC critic Janet Albrechtsen,cite web
last = Caldwell
first = Alison
title = ABC critic appointed to board of directors
publisher = Australian Broadcasting Corporation
date = 2005-02-24
url = http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2005/s1310461.htm
accessdate = 2006-11-28 ] , Ron Brunton, [cite web
last = Marriner
first = Cosima
title = Anthropologist on ABC Board
publisher = Australian Broadcasting Corporation
date = 2003-05-03
url = http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/05/02/1051382095367.html
accessdate = 2006-11-28 ] and Keith Windschuttle. [cite web
last = Colvin
first = Mark
title = Govt appoints ABC board members
publisher = Australian Broadcasting Corporation
date = 2006-06-15
url = http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2006/s1664194.htm
accessdate = 2006-11-28 ]

During their 2007 federal election campaign, Labor anounced plans to introduce a new system, similar to that of the BBC, for appointing members to the board.cite press release |title=Australian Labor Party: ABC Board |url=http://www.alp.org.au/media/0607/mscoitloo050.php |date=2007-06-05 |publisher=Australian Labor Party] Under the new system, ABC candidates would be considered by a panel established "at arm's length" from the Communications Minister. [cite news |title=Independent panel to select ABC board to be named |url=http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23232789-7582,00.html |date=2007-02-18 |publisher=The Australian] If the Minister chose someone not on the panel's shortlist, they would be required to justify this to parliament. The ABC Chairman would be nominated by the Prime Minister and endorsed by the Leader of the Opposition. The comittee has not yet been anounced.

John Gallagher QC and Ron Brunton both retired from the Board in February and May 2008, respectively.cite web |title=Free podcasts don't suit ABC's results |url=http://blogs.theaustralian.news.com.au/markday/index.php/theaustralian/comments/free_podcasts_dont_suit_abcs_results/ |date=2008-09-18 |publisher=news.com.au] No replacement has yet been apointed, pending the anouncement of a new independent panel responsible for new appointments.cite news |title=Conroy sets ABC collision course |url=http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,24897,22876717-7582,00.html |date=2007-12-07 |publisher=The Australian |author=Michael Sainsbury]

Past Managers

;General Managerscite web
title =Submission to the Senate Environment, Communications, Information Technology and the Arts References Committee
publisher =Friends of the ABC
date =August 11 2001
url =http://friendsoftheabc.org/boardinq.pdf
format =pdf
accessdate = 2006-12-06 ]
* Sir Charles Moses (1935–65)
* Sir Talbot Duckmanton (1965–82)
* Keith Jennings (1982-83);Managing Directors
* Geoffrey Whitehead (1983–87)
* David Hill (1987–95)
* Brian Johns (1995–99)
* Jonathan Shier (1999–2002)
* Russell Balding (2002–06)
* Mark Scott (2006–present);Chairscite web
title = Agency notes for agency CA 251
publisher =National Archives of Australia
date =
url =http://naa12.naa.gov.au/scripts/AgencyDetail.asp?M=3&B=CA+251
format =
accessdate = 2007-03-07 ]
* Sir Charles Lloyd Jones (1932-34)
* William James Cleary (1934-45) [cite web|url=http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A080022b.htm|work=Australian Dictionary of Biography|title= Cleary, William James (1885 - 1973)|author=Thomas, Alan|date=1981]
* Sir Richard Boyer (1945–61)
* Sir James Darling (1961-67)
* Sir Robert Madgwick (1967-73)
* Richard Downing (1973-75)
* Sir Harry Bland (1976)
* J D Norgard (1976-81)
* Dame Leonie Kramer (1982-83)
* Ken Myer (1983-86)
* David Hill (1986-87)
* Bob Somervaille (1987-91)
* Professor Mark Armstrong (1991-96)
* Donald McDonald (1996–2006)
* Maurice Newman (2007-present)

Criticism

Appointments to the ABC Board made by successive governments have often resulted in criticism of the appointees' political affiliation, background, and relative merit.cite web
title =Methods of appointment to the ABC Board: Chapter 2 - The selection criteria - who should be on the board?]
work =Senate Environment, Communications, Information Technology and the Arts Committee, ABC Board inquiry report
publisher = Parliament of Australia
date = September 2001
url =http://www.aph.gov.au/senate/committee/ecita_ctte/completed_inquiries/1999-02/abcboard/report/c02.htm Above Board?
accessdate = 2006-11-04] cite news |title=Whose ABC? |url=http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2006/s1726253.htm |date=2006-08-26 |publisher=ABC Radio |accessdate=2007-10-13 ] Past appointments have associated directly with political parties - five of fourteen appointed chairmen have been accused of political affiliation or friendship, include Richard Downing and Ken Myer (both of whom publicly endorsed the Australian Labor Party at the 1972 election,cite book |last=Inglis |first=Kenneth Stanley |title=Whose ABC? The Australian Broadcasting Corporation 1983-2006 |year=2006 |publisher=Black Inc. |location=Melbourne, Victoria |isbn=1-86395-189-X ] as well as Sir Henry Bland (an adviser to Malcolm Fraser during the 1976 election campaignFact|date=October 2007). David Hill was close to Neville Wran, while Donald McDonald was considered to be a close friend of John Howard.cite web
last = Inglis
first = Ken
authorlink = Ken Inglis
title = Aunty at seventy: a health report on the ABC
work =
publisher = Friends of the ABC
date = 2002-11-13
url = http://friendsoftheabc.org/inglislecture.pdf
format = pdf
accessdate = ]

In the past, appointments of commissioners and directors also drew criticism. In the 1932, a majority of the commissioners were publicly conservative.Fact|date=October 2007 This continued to 1942, when the Curtin and Chifley administrations appointed a more 'politically balanced' commission.Fact|date=October 2007

Once elected to power, Labor prime minister Whitlam replaced the entire board - appointed by Liberal governments over the previous 23 years - with supporters of the Labor Party. His successor, Malcolm Fraser, attempted unsuccessfully to take similar action by replacing the board with politically conservative commissioners in 1976, but was only able to make new appointments by adding two extra director positions onto the board.

In 1983, Minister John Button referred proposed board appointments to an all-party committee for the first time. This practice was discontinued before the end of Paul Keating's government. Alan Ramsey, in a 1996 article for the "Sydney Morning Herald" noted that:cquote
"12 came from overt political backgrounds, among them a former Labor premier, a former Liberal senator, a former Liberal Cabinet minister, four trade union activists, four advisers to various State Labor administrations, and Labor's former opinion pollster, Rod Cameron." In short, "less than half Labor's ABC appointments over the years have had obvious party political connections, while two of them came from among the ranks of its political opponents."

A 2006 restructure of the ABC board, undertaken by the Howard government, abolished the position of staff elected director. [ cite web
title = Restructure of ABC Board
publisher = Website of Senator the Hon Helen Coonan, Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts
url = http://www.minister.dcita.gov.au/media/media_releases/restructure_of_abc_board
accessdate = 2007-11-27] The elected director was previously nominated and elected by employees of the ABC. Nominees for this director office were to have been employed at least 24 hours a week by the ABC and the term of office was two years with eligibility for re-election to a second term. An elected director was not eligible for a third term of office. The last elected director was broadcaster Ramona Koval who had occupied the position for the previous four years amid ongoing intense controversy. [cite web
title = Staff-elected Director
publisher = Scaleplus
url = http://scaleplus.law.gov.au/html/histact/10/5029/0/HA000190.htm
accessdate = 2007-11-26] This drew criticism from the Labor Party, Australian Greens, and the Democrats, who saw it as a 'revenge measure' taken against the Corporation. [cite web |title=Australian Broadcasting Corporation Amendment Bill 2006 |url=http://www.petergarrett.com.au/c.asp?id=181 |date=2006-05-24 |publisher=Peter Garret |accessdate=2007-10-06] [cite web |title=AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS AND AUSTRALIAN DEMOCRATS: MINORITY REPORT |url=http://www.aph.gov.au/senate/committee/ecita_ctte/broadcasting/report/d01.pdf |accessdate=2007-10-06]

Labor anounced plans to make the system of appointments to the board independent of the Minister for Communications in July, 2007.

References