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ABC agrees to open Board meetings

At least half of the ABC's 6 board meetings will be followed by community forums, after a govt deal forces further transparency.

The ABC has agreed to open board meetings to the public next year, avoiding the government introducing legislation to force the broadcaster it to hold the forums.

At least half of the ABC’s 6 board meetings will be followed by community forums in a bid to make their processes more transparent. At least two will be held in regional areas, The Australian reports.

An SBS spokeswoman also said it would take government policy “into consideration” when arranging board meetings for 2017 but it already hosted and participated in many community forums, “providing valuable opportunities to connect with the diverse communities it serves”.

Senator Leyonhjelm asked for the “open community forums” as part of a vote deal with the government to re-establish the Aus­tralian Building and Construction Commission.

5 Responses

  1. It seems to me that this government…started with the original leader …appears to have an agenda to see the end of the ABC….I do not understand why…is it costing the nation to have a national broadcaster?….not just TV..but radio also…many changes…I wish everyone would just leave the ABC alone…stop trying to tear it down…and join it up with SBS…(2 totally different things)…. 🙁

  2. It’s one of those things that sounds like a good idea – “openness”, “transparency”, “real-world input”, etc – but is deliberately designed to be an opening for everyone with a hobbyhorse and an axe to grind to ride in swinging.

    And The Australian will be there, ready to beat up any minor grievance into an ABC-bashing headline.

    (If it’s such a good idea, where’s the legislation requiring Cabinet meetings, Party meetings, commercial board meetings, and similar to be open to the public? Those things have a much bigger effect on and cost to the whole population than the ABC.)

    1. You can bet The Australian will use it as an excuse to rant about the ABC. Its all they seem to focus on – probably because they don’t want any competition.

      Tex has made excellent points.

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