File spoon-archives/marxism-thaxis.archive/marxism-thaxis_1998/marxism-thaxis.9805, message 45


Date: Mon, 4 May 1998 15:48:18 +1000
From: Rob Schaap <rws-AT-comserver.canberra.edu.au>
Subject: M-TH: Re: War on the Wharfies


G'day Thaxists,

The High Court has just upheld the Federal Court Injunction which demanded
the reinstatement of the MUA workers.  There's a worrying difference though
- something to do with the Patrick administrator having the right to decide
whether to trade on or not.  Patrick's Corrigan has said the administrator
will have a couple of million to trade for a week or two, but I still don't
have a clue where exactly all the other company assets (whatever they might
amount to) are.

Peter Reith has taken a bath on this one, and still insists the
administrator need not trade on exclusively with MUA labour.  That might
clear up by tomorrow - if so, I'll report then.

An intersting side issue is outlined below (in a press article - sorry,
Mark) - it concerns Australia's public service broadcaster (our equivalent
of the BBC).

Cheers,
Rob.

                   From today's *Australian* (Murdoch)

                      Alston pressures ABC on bias
                            By ERROL SIMPER

                                4may98


THE Government has questioned the ABC's impartiality in its strongest terms
yet, with the broadcaster's managing-director, Brian Johns, being asked for
a "point-by-point" response to a range of anti-government bias claims.

A 900-word letter to Mr Johns, authored by Communications Minister Richard
Alston, seeks his response to a complaint that a government supporter over
the waterside dispute was denied access to the ABC's 4QR in Brisbane. It
also requests definitive guidelines about what the corporation regards as
the "coverage" or "promotion" of political events, an issue raised via an
internal ABC staff memorandum last week.

Senator Alston wants to know what "formal mechanisms" the ABC relies on to
monitor such distinctions and which management levels can deem events as
"political". The letter also claims the ABC has concealed the political
agendasof government critics over the wharf conflict and demands to know
what action it intends taking to remind staff of their responsibility to be
"balanced and impartial".

The letter is unusual in that it is directed to Mr Johns, responsible for
the ABC's day-to-day management, rather than to the chairman of its board,
traditionally the recipient of ministerial queries.

Sent late last week, it follows a string of allegations the ABC has
favoured waterside workers in their dispute with Patrick stevedores and the
Government. They culminated in a leaked memorandum to staff on the Country
Hour program, warning rural reporters not to "promote" a farmers' rally in
support of Patrick.

Mr Johns could not be contacted yesterday but he made it clear a few days
ago he believed the ABC's guidelines were being "fairly and consistently"
applied.

Senator Alston would not discuss the matter last night but government
sources say the complaint reflects Coalition frustration that the national
broadcaster does not have an identifiable internal structure to ensure
balance and impartiality.

In a series of detailed concerns, Senator Alston has passed on complaints
from someone who says he was denied access to talkback on 4QR, after a
producer found he wanted to support an earlier criticism of the ABC.

Senator Alston's letter says: "If the allegations are conceded to be
substantially accurate, I seek your (Johns') advice as what action ABC
management intends to take in relation to the staff in question and, more
generally, in relation to ensuring all ABC staff are fully aware of the need
to provide a balanced and impartial coverage of events."

On the Country Hour memorandum, Senator Alston wants to know "when the
distinction between promotion and coverage was first devised and when it
was first brought to the attention of working journalists".




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