The ABC remains under significant pressure, Helen Grasswill warned in the keynote address to the ABC Friends NSW & ACT AGM in November.
Image: ABC Friends NSW& ACT President, Dr. Tess Howes, and Helen Grasswill.
In an urgent call to action to supporters of the ABC, Helen highlighted the ongoing challenges and threats faced by the public broadcaster. While acknowledging some recent positive developments, such as the appointment of Kim Williams as Chair and a renewed emphasis on Radio National, she said that the ABC’s problems are not over.
"I’d like to be standing here now and saying that the ABC’s problems are over, or at least well on the way to being resolved. But that would be very Pollyanna-ish."
She went on to say:
"More than ever we need to work hard to gain stronger support for the ABC, not least because it’s very clear that the types of anti-public institutions, anti-democracy factors that we’ve just seen in the US election have been alive in Australia for some years, with the ABC being the public institution that arguably is most under attack."
Helen identified three main concerns:
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Helen warned of the insidious nature of these negative campaigns, drawing parallels to "Trumpian methodology." She explained how criticism spreads across multiple media platforms, creating a multiplier effect that gradually erodes public perception, even if the original critiques lack substance.
While acknowledging that the ABC has made mistakes, Helen argued these primarily result from chronic underfunding, which has led to staff cuts, loss of institutional memory, and reduced mentoring opportunities. She remains optimistic about the ABC's capacity to recover, citing its historical resilience.
With a federal election looming, how can the external pressures on the public broadcaster be tackled?
The ABC is very lucky to have an organisation like ABC Friends, said Helen. "You’ve done a remarkable job for many years, especially at election times."
In previous elections, the Friends together with ABC Alumni conducted highly effective public campaigning, with simple and straightforward pro-ABC messaging. There’s been effective lobbying of key politicians of all persuasions. Rallies, large and small, have been run for the faithful, with key politicians from the major parties and others invited to pitch their positions. Those measures along with Kerry O’Brien’s very effective speaking tour helped make the ABC an election issue in 2022 and secure improvements for the ABC.
This type of campaigning should continue, but, warned Helen, the 2025 election will be a lot harder than last time. It’s imperative that we fully recognise the impact of the major changes in the media ecosystem and diversify our messaging, she said. No longer can we rely solely on the "simple message" communications playbook that has worked so well in the past.
Perhaps the most effective core response for the Friends, is to go on the offensive by putting our own positive messages about the ABC out there. But we must reach beyond our own echo chambers. The people we most need to influence, are not simply existing ABC supporters but the wider public, especially those who don’t particularly think about the ABC or who have already been caught up in the negativity web.
Drawing lessons from the US election, Helen urged vigilance. She referenced journalist Dan Rather's observation about the cohesive messaging of right-wing media and stressed the importance of countering negative narratives.
Helen’s core message was clear: the ABC's enemies are active and would not hesitate to diminish or destroy the public broadcaster if given the opportunity. While acknowledging Australia's different political context compared to the United States, she warned against complacency.
Politicians might promise there’ll always be an ABC, but that doesn’t necessarily mean there’ll always be an ABC as a true public broadcaster. An ABC that doesn’t cost taxpayer dollars – or which only costs the taxpayer for some services such as rural and regional and emergency broadcasting – could be an easy sell for a deceptive marketeer, but it would be an ABC in name only.
If you think something like this couldn’t happen, just look at the state of public media around the world and heed the warnings of the anti-ABC rhetoric.
It’s up to all of us who value the ABC as the independent, government-funded broadcaster we have now, to stay vigilant, Helen said.