MEDIA RELEASE 27 March 2003 - for immediate release
Attention: Chief of Staff

The Friends of the ABC have welcomed a statement from the Shadow Minister for Communications, Lindsay Tanner, promising to reform the process of appointing the ABC Board.

Mr Tanner has promised a transparent and non-partisan process for the filling of vacancies on the ABC Board. He proposes to advertise the vacancies, along with appropriate selection criteria. An independent selection panel would then provide a short list to the Minister.

Writing in the Melbourne Age, Mr Tanner blasted the Coalition's policy of stacking the ABC Board with its supporters, but he also admitted that past Labor appointments had been open to criticism. Referring to Labor's appointment of John Bannon (a former Labor Premier) and Rod Cameron (a former political pollster for Labor) Mr Tanner said, " the taint of political bias was always there because the process by which they were appointed was completely flawed."

Friends of the ABC spokesperson Darce Cassidy commented:
"This could be the start of a new era for the ABC. Since the beginning the ABC Board has been used for political patronage by parities of all colours. Over the last fifteen years it has got steadily worse as successive governments have sought to out-stack their predecessor.

"Mr Tanner's proposal could put an end to this vicious circle. We note that the ALP proposal borrows heavily from the UK example, where the Conservative government of John Major introduced a similar process to apply to the BBC and other public bodies. We understand that the Greens, the Democrats and a number of independents support a similar process. While we need to consider the details of the ALP proposal, it looks like a positive step. We will be seeking discussions with Mr Tanner, Senator Alston and the minor parties to see if agreement can be reached for a non-partisan process."

Further information or comment: Darce Cassidy , phone 03 9486 9549 (business hours) 03 9349 4280 (a.h.) mobile 0412 685 178 email darce@friendsoftheabc.org