The Usual Suspects - Again 28 February 2005

Following the appointment of Ms Janet Albrechtsen to the board of the ABC, Friends of the ABC have called on the government to reform the process by which appointments are made to the ABC board. Ms Albrechtsen, who writes for the Australian, has been a fierce and unrelenting critic of the ABC.

Commenting on the appointment Friends spokesperson Ms Margaret O'Connor said: " I think it is fair to describe Ms Albrechtsen as an ideological zealot, which, in itself, does not disqualify her from the ABC board. Our problem is with the political balance on the ABC board, and with the appointment process.

"In selecting commentators to appear on its programs, the ABC is, quite properly, required to provide a balance of opinion. But in selecting members of the ABC board the government appoints Ms Albrechtsen and other 'usual suspects' time after time,' Ms O'Connor said. 'When you get so many Directors who have been such open critics of the ABC and such a preponderance of the same political views, we say the ABC Board is screaming out for a bit of balance.  Any ABC producer who chose the government appointed members of the ABC board as the panel for a current affairs discussion would be quickly found guilty of bias.'

'Not only does the government appoint the usual suspects, but the process itself is also suspect. It happens secretly, and without any apparent relationship to the qualifications required to run a half billion dollar a year organisation. It is time that the government followed the example of the Conservative government in the UK and implemented an open, transparent and non-partisan method of finding qualified people to run our national broadcaster. So say the Friends of the ABC.'