The complaints procedure of the ABC is constantly misrepresented. If anyone is not satisfied with the response to their complaint they have the right to take it further up the system - and beyond, to the Australian Broadcasting Authority. MD Russell Balding spells it out:

If an ABC viewer or listener is unhappy with a broadcast, they may complain to ABC Audience and Consumer Affairs. That unit investigates complaints independent of the programs in question. If the complainant is still dissatisfied, it may be taken up with the Complaints Review Executive staffed by Murray Green.

The CRE also may have serious complaints referred directly by the managing director, as was the case with Alston's dossier on the AM program.

If dissatisfied with the outcome of an ABC review, complainants can then refer their matter to the Independent Complaints Review Panel. The ICRP was established by the ABC board to facilitate independent external review.

The panellists have various backgrounds, including commercial television (Channel 7), John Fairfax Holdings Ltd, the Australian Press Council, SBS, The Sydney Morning Herald, commercial radio (2GB), the University of NSW law faculty, the NSW Community Relations Commission, Sydney Theatre Company, the Film Finance Corporation and the NSW Board of Studies.

No-one on the Independent Complaints Review Panel has any present or former association with the ABC as an employee.

It has found against the ABC on numerous occasions. As a result the ABC has been compelled to correct errors and apologise to complainants on air.

If a complainant is dissatisfied with any of the aforementioned processes, they may seek further review through the Australian Broadcasting Authority, including matters dealing with balance and impartiality. They may also go straight to the ABA if dissatisfied with the ABC's first response.

The ABC welcomes external review or scrutiny. As prominent News Limited media commentator Mark Day noted, the ABC "has got the best complaints procedure I've ever seen, certainly in Australia".

Each quarter the ABC publishes the outcome of its audience complaints handling. During the first quarter of this year, the ABC upheld 49 audience complaints. It is fallacious to suggest that the ABC does not have a rigorous complaints handling process.

Russell Balding, Managing Director ABC
ABC Online