Why is the ABC so biased?
In estimates I asked the ABC why they did not interview me when I left the Liberal party despite interviewing Senator Payman when she left the Labor party at the same time.
The head of the ABC News division seemed to think that it wasn’t newsworthy that the Liberal party had rigged my preselection, were caught with the evidence of rigging it and when the evidence was presented to court and not contested by the LNP, the judge said political parties don’t have to follow the rules of their own constitution.
In other words the courts have ruled that the organisations ie political parties who make laws in this country don’t have to follow their own laws.
I would have thought the ABC would have loved to have had discussed this issue given the importance of such a decision don’t you.
But of course that would mean giving air time to a white male who disagrees with climate change and other false narratives.
So much for the ABC being impartial.
Environment and Communications Legislation Committee
25/02/2025
Estimates
INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT, REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT, COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS PORTFOLIO
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Senator RENNICK: This is my final question, thanks, Chair. Sarah is still on 7.30. She’s the lead presenter, I’m led to believe. I’ve asked a number of times for interviews with 7.30, and I know other independent senators have gotten interviews with 7.30, and I’m yet to get one. I’m just curious to know why there’s bias in the fact that the ABC seem to want to present other independent politicians from the left side of politics but not the right side of politics.
Mr Stevens: With respect, I contest the assertion that the program only requests or speaks to people from one side of politics. I can say with confidence that’s not the case.
Senator HENDERSON: [Inaudible]
Mr Stevens: Sorry, I’m responding to Senator Rennick. In regard to specific requests that you’ve made for that program to interview, I’m not privy to those, but I’m happy to have a look at that. The program makes independent decisions about who they approach to interview, obviously, and the individuals obviously have to be relevant to the public discussion that is of news that day or week.
Senator RENNICK: That’s interesting. I’ll give you the example of Senator Payman, when she announced her new party. She got a gig on the 7.30 program that night. I have nothing against Senator Payman. It’s nothing personal or anything like that. My question is that I also approached the 7.30 program immediately after that and said, ‘Can I also get an opportunity to promote People First?’ which is effectively what the 7.30 program was doing, and that was four months ago and I still haven’t got a response.
Mr Stevens: The 7.30program and the ABC generally is not in the business of promoting political parties like yours; it’s in the business of questioning and asking—
Senator RENNICK: Yes, absolutely.
Mr Stevens: And, secondly, I don’t think anyone would question that Senator Payman’s decisions over the course of that fortnight were massively relevant to the news agenda that week and very much in the public interest.
Senator HANSON-YOUNG: You’re just not radical enough, Gerry.
Senator RENNICK: Okay. That’s fine, but I’m just curious, because, you’ve just said—and I’ll admit we’re not that big either, but the point is that it was a clear example of how one person got a gig and another person didn’t.
Mr Stevens: I think they’re different circumstances, with respect, as to the considerations.
Senator RENNICK: I don’t. Both new parties started around the same time.
Mr Stevens: I think it’s an inaccurate correlation to make that—the correlation would be accurate if you were a member of the party room of, say, one of the two major political parties and there was a great deal of questioning around your voting motivations that week with a key policy issue to the extent that it went against the party room and then subsequently left the party. I’m not aware that you’ve been through a similar journey yourself in that respect.
Senator RENNICK: You must have had your head in the sand for the last three years. I mean, I withheld my vote from the Liberal Party over the vaccine mandates and injuries.
CHAIR: Senator Rennick, I appreciate that you’re upset that they haven’t interviewed you on the telly.
Senator RENNICK: I’m not. It’s totally what I expect [inaudible].
CHAIR: But I will say that I’m not sure that continuing on—I think Mr Stevens has quite clearly said that it’s a matter of public interest, as they view it, rather than a scent of bias.
Senator RENNICK: I’d just like to correct for the record, Chair, that I’m not upset. I didn’t expect to get an interview with the ABC. I just want to highlight the hypocrisy of the ABC in how impartial you are, or lack of impartiality, and how you interview certain people but not other people. I’ll leave that as a comment.
Mr Stevens: Understood, and we’ll chat to the program about it, and I can confirm that Sarah still anchors the program. She’s doing a terrific job.
Senator RENNICK: And this Russian collusion one is a classic example. You’ve still got it up there. You haven’t corrected it. That’s the same for the poor woman who had her husband die in front of her and you gaslighted her. So you need to look at the way you report your news. Thank you.
