Senator Alston’s time as Communications Minister was long but not covered in glory. There have been calls for his resignation from time to time (not all from the Labor shadow minister) and journalists commenting on Senator Alston’s departure have been hard-pressed to find any success stories from his time at the Department of Communication, Information Technology and the Arts. We have often felt that the last seven-plus years have been a battle for survival between Richard Alston and the ABC. The ABC has survived, though battered and bruised. He never found time to have a meeting with Friends of the ABC; in 1996 he said it was unnecessary as he knew what we would say.

Daryl Williams is the new Communications Minister. We congratulate him on his appointment. We look forward to discussing the future of the ABC with him and to an improved relationship