15 August 2001

The Editor
Sydney Morning Herald

Padraic P. McGuinness misrepresents the Friends of the ABC when he writes (SMH 4/8/01) that the Friends of the ABC never advocated depoliticising the ABC when Labor was in power.

In October 1985 the President of the Friends in New South Wales, Walter Bass wrote in our organisation's newsletter:

"The Corporation is under fire from a Labor administration which is proving to be a greater threat to the ABC's independence than the Fraser government ever was ........Politicians have tried stacking the Board with their nominees .......I also appeal to all the Friends of the ABC to make their disapproval known on any and every occasion when the governments intrusion into ABC activities appear to be motivated by political rather than community considerations"

In the Spring 1989 issue of the newsletter he wrote:

"The second of the ABC's foes - by far the more sinister - is the politician........Both Hawke and Peacock make no secret of their dislike of the ABC.....Hawke was not exactly enamoured by Four Corners programs scrutinising the business activities of Sir Peter Abeles and Alan Bond, with whom Hawke is on good terms"

We loudly criticised Gareth Evans proposal that the ABC be funded by advertising, and we joined with Senator Alston and the Coalition in condemning the back door sponsorship deals in ABC television under a Labor administration.

Darce Cassidy
National Spokesperson
Friends of the ABC