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Peter Lewis appointed to ABC Board

The man behind ABC's efficiency review has been appointed to the Board for 5 years.

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2014-01-31_0049Former Seven West Media chief financial officer Peter Lewis, who was the architect of an efficiency review of the ABC, has been formally appointed to the ABC Board.

The Lewis Review earmarked $60 million in savings for the broadcaster including selling off its television studios, scaling back internal production and ending investment in digital radio.

He was shortlisted by an independent nomination panel but bitterly opposed by the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU), and lobby group Friends of the ABC.

Today FABC National Spokesperson Glenys Stradijot said, “Mr Lewis’s background is in commercial media finance – skills which are totally unsuited to the governing board of a public broadcaster and the country’s foremost cultural institution.

“Mr Lewis’s appointment appears to be a reward for him having devised a blueprint for how the ABC should be cut. It also looks to be an attempt by the Government to impose an agenda of commercialisation on the ABC.

“Peter Lewis should never have been appointed to conduct a review of the ABC due to his recent employment in senior roles with media companies that are competitors of the ABC. It is even worse that someone with such a clear potential for conflict of interest has been appointed to the broadcaster’s governing board.

“With its cuts to ABC funding and its first appointment to the ABC Board, this government is demonstrating contempt for the nation’s independent public broadcaster.”

MEAA federal secretary Christopher Warren said in August, “The cuts the Lewis Review is set to propose would decimate the ABC. MEAA believes such severe cuts would have a direct impact on vital, unique services that only the ABC can provide. We would likely see a reduction in the number of foreign bureaus and a distinct drop in the ABC’s rural and regional footprint.”

Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull said today: “He will be a valuable addition to the ABC Board, bringing with him extensive and deep industry knowledge and experience. Mr Lewis has been appointed for five years.”

In July, Lewis stepped down as chief financial officer of Southern Cross Media after just four weeks in the job following disagreement over company strategy.

Source: Fairfax, Mumbrella

6 Responses

  1. It is hard to believe that Peter Lewis will bring anything useful to the board of the ABC. He is a creature of commercial television which has no charter responsibilities other than to make a profit by appealing to the lowest common denominator. Lewis departed afert only 6 weeks in his most recent employment at Southern Cross media.

  2. The independent panel is appointed by individuals in the Government to appoint their prefered candidate to the boards. It is just a way of pretending that Rudd and Gillard weren’t trying to stack the board in their favour. First Abbott & Turnbull appointed people to the Independent Panel then Lewis was appointed to fill a board slot. Even if you have the senate approve appointments, which ever side controls the senate will block people from the other side. You can’t make politics non-political.

    Lewis wasn’t the architect of the review. The Ministry was, set up the terms and appointed Lewis to conduct it.

    The left has always appointed its people to the board and Howard appointed Newman and Albrechtsen from the right for 5 years at it made no difference. The board is made up of many people and has limited powers. Ensuring that the ABC isn’t insolvent, meets its charter and…

  3. Any new board at the ABC now has the opportunity to exempt the digital channel ABC2 from the advertising charter. This is because ABC (ABC1), ABC3, News24 can still adhere to current charter without any change to those channels.

    ABC2 could establish itself as its own reputable identity by re-branding marketing, as well as incorporating ABC4 into the established ABC3 and incorporating the private sector to help fund programming so that ABC2 can establish itself as an entity that could potentially produce and broadcast high-rating content, such as drama, comedy or variety.

  4. These people are hypocrites with no principles whatsover. First, Maurice Newman, Michael Kroger, Janet Albrechtson and now Peter Lewis. If you don’t believe in the future of a strong, independent, national broadcaster why take a Board position to be a wrecker?

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