ABC deflects Freedom of Information pressure from media
Should the ABC be forced to disclose its staff salaries to media under a Freedom of Information Act?
- Published by David Knox
- on
- Filed under News
News Limited newspapers are hounding the ABC after it rejected twoFreedom of Information applications lodged by the Herald Sun, for access to details of ABC salaries and expenditure.
The broadcaster claims it is not in the public interest and it would disadvantage them if commercial networks knew what their staff (including talent) were being paid.
Liberal Senator Ian Macdonald this week hit out at the ABC’s secrecy, particularly during official hearings.
He said: “I’ve been told by managing director Mark Scott the ABC doesn’t pay them much and ‘if we publish the amounts then they’ll be made offers by the commercial networks that we won’t be able to match. So we’ll lose them’.”
Yes Senator. That’s what Mark Scott told you back in 2009 when the Senate Committee you were on wanted to know how much Kerry O’Brien was paid.
At the time MacDonald pointed out ABC presenters were happy to comment on the salaries paid to politicians.
But it’s a tricky question. Budgetary expenditures should be public knowledge, but does that mean intimate details of how much Kerry, Adam Hills, Tony Jones and the ABC3 presenters are worth is open for publication? Perhaps they can be grouped as lump sum ‘staff salaries’ for each department.
The Herald Sun has now turned to an independent arbiter, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, for an external review.
Presumably most ABC staff are worth a little more than 8c a day. What about our politicans?
8 Responses
We all think it’s outrageous that the ABC presenters who so often exhibit such a huge ultra- fluoro -green bias are paid salaries out of our tax dollars; there is not the slightest effort to remotely explore alternative viewpoints on anything, particularly their pet hates, mining and carbon dioxide. ( The stuff that builds their stations and keeps plants alive). Imagine, …the patronising pun the other night on that lightweight science show about “carbon” was that we, the “dumb” audience actually think that’s carbon dioxide! So, the difference is this; our tax dollars pay for their salaries – they are not private enterprise, they are our public servants; and it is meant to be a station, a public broadcaster, without bias, impartial. In the real world, this means alternative viewpoints are not stifled like in some disgusting dictatorship nanny state. The slants on the show are so blindingly obvious, they obviously all think we have a sum total IQ of about 1. I am paying their salaries; I want to know how much they are. So, might I add also do 95% of the public, the people who have switched off. They probably all earn far more than me for peddling complete tripe most of the time. We pay for the ABC, we are now demanding accountability. Otherwise we may as well sell it off to a Green, and start again from the original charter. Not all of use learn our science from movies these days. ABC, guess what, you are on the nose!
Maybe that’s why they had to sell all their shows to 7TWO – They’re spending too much on staff and talent [/sarcasm]
On that note, shouldn’t 7TWO rename itself “ABC7” seeing as the majority of their prime time shows used to be on the ABC?
I also want a break down of the salary of my neighbour,being a government employee in law enforcement I’m sure Dave want mind me sending my findings off to News Corp.
What’s this, News Ltd vs. ABC episode #100,001?
And, if the ABC channels are to be regarded as proper competitors with the commercials (as the commercials themselves do think that way), how is it possible to ask the ABC to reveal its staff salaries? It takes away their competitive edge.
I dont think the ABC should have to detail each employee’s wages, a grouped dept. style might work though…
As for a fourth network, I highly doubt anyone would want to enter the Australian market. The UK only has 3 commercial broadcasters including 4, which pays no license fees. I wouldnt mind seeing ch32 which carries community tv made into a commercial entity. With free carriage of CTV and the rest of the spectrum open to the market; ie foxtel could make a taster channel.
Maybe the Herald Sun should release their expenditure figures. It would be nice to know how much a dud like Andrew Bolt gets paid.
As far as I know, the ABC is funded by the government, but isn’t a government department.
Therefore FOI should cover only as far as what the government spends on the service and Not what the ABC spends that money on.
I think it’s absolutely outrageous that a commercial and rival should know what the ABC pays it’s Staff.
ABC should tell News Corp to go and get stuff.
This is commercial sensitive information.
It seems like News Corp, is doing its own dirty work, on the lead up to a fourth commercial channel!?!