AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION ANNUAL REPORT 2019 Revellers at New Year’s Eve 2018 – The Night is Yours. Image: Jared Leibowtiz Cover: Dianne Appleby, Yawuru Cultural Leader, and her grandson Zeke 11 September 2019 The Hon Paul Fletcher MP Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts Parliament House Canberra ACT 2600 Dear Minister The Board of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation is pleased to present its Annual Report for the year ended 30 June 2019. The report was prepared for section 46 of the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013, in accordance with the requirements of that Act and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation Act 1983. It was approved by the Board on 11 September 2019 and provides a comprehensive review of the ABC’s performance and delivery in line with its Charter remit. The ABC continues to be the home and source of Australian stories, told across the nation and to the world. The Corporation’s commitment to innovation in both storytelling and broadcast delivery is stronger than ever, as the needs of its audiences rapidly evolve in line with technological change. Australians expect an independent, accessible public broadcasting service which produces quality drama, comedy and specialist content, entertaining and educational children’s programming, stories of local lives and issues, and news and current affairs coverage that holds power to account and contributes to a healthy democratic process. The ABC is proud to provide such a service. The ABC is truly Yours. Sincerely, Ita Buttrose AC OBE Chair Letter to the Minister iii ABC Radio Melbourne Drive presenter Raf Epstein. iv AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION ANNUAL REPORT 2019 Contents Letter to the Minister 1 Yours in the Community 51 Foreword from the Chair 2 ABC Audiences 65 The Board 4 Annual Performance Statements 87 Purpose and Vision 8 Working at the ABC 100 The Executive Leadership Team 9 Responsibility 127 Where We Are 10 Accountability 141 What We Do 12 Financial Statements 150 Snapshot of the ABC in 2018-19 13 Appendices 208 Message from the Reference 263 Managing Director 14 Quality, distinctive content in 2018-19 16 Contents 1 Foreword from the Chair The ABC is an essential part of the Australian kids’ series, Bluey, the compelling narrative social fabric. Even as an avid user of its and scenery that comprised Mystery Road, the programming and through my deep family strong public engagement nurtured by our local ties to the organisation, I remain in awe of its and national radio networks, and the breadth significance and value to the community. More and depth of our federal election coverage. than two-thirds of the population connect with We are continuing to set the pace in areas like the ABC at some point each week. How many podcasting and app development and in uniting other Australian institutions can boast that the community behind big events like Anzac Day, level of constant engagement? Or the solid New Year’s Eve and the Invictus Games. levels of trust and support? At a time of declining institutional trust In my short time as Chair of the ABC, I have across the globe, our value and trust sought to maintain those benchmarks. It has not scores remain high. The important role of been easy. The period covered by this Annual the ABC has also been underscored in the Report included some disruptive leadership Competitive Neutrality Report, commissioned issues culminating with the departure of both by the Government and released in late 2018. the former Managing Director and Chair in The Report found that the ABC had not strayed September 2018. As a result, the Board and beyond its charter and could not be blamed management spent too much time in the for the problems being encountered by the latter half of 2018 being the news rather than commercial sector. It endorsed the principle producing it. That is now behind us. of a well-funded ABC taking full advantage of technological breakthroughs to serve new Deputy Chair, Dr Kirstin Ferguson, assumed the and existing audiences. role of Acting Chair following the resignation of Chair Justin Milne. On behalf of the Board The Report highlighted how the media sector our thanks to her for a job well done including is arguably the one most disrupted by digital successfully navigating the ABC through the change. I sense many ongoing opportunities Senate Inquiry and Departmental investigations. for the ABC in this landscape as we focus on It was a challenging time for everyone on the our strengths: excellence, innovation, public Board. It is important to acknowledge the key service, and rewarding both niche and broad finding of the Senate Inquiry that the Board’s audiences with distinctive fare. There is no decision to terminate Michelle Guthrie was sense of complacency. We must always adapt, made without reference to real or perceived responding to audience trends and to the need political interference. to balance efficiency and effectiveness. Staff morale was badly shaken, and my priority On that last point, our task has been made has been to reinvigorate it by restoring order harder by the imposition of the three-year and enhancing good governance with the indexation freeze, which comes on top of a help of Managing Director, David Anderson, $50 million-a-year cut now embedded in our and his management team. Our employees, in base. We will operate within our funding content areas and vital support functions, need envelope. But the funding reduction, at a time a strong sense of direction and a feeling that of rising costs for production and acquired management has their backs. I feel we are now content, ever-increasing competition for providing it. audiences, and the need to replace obsolete equipment, will force tough choices and We continue to be recognised here and long-lasting decisions. We will continue to internationally for the quality of our lobby the Government for financial security and programming, for our commitment to localism the flexibility we need to invest in our future. and our unique democratic role in fostering We will continue to seek the support of our the national debate and informing the public. other stakeholders for that mission. We are proud of the success of our homemade 2 AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION ANNUAL REPORT 2019 The legislative environment in which we denied the ability, and indeed the fulfilment of operate is another challenge. The AFP raid its legislative duty, to inform the community. on our Ultimo headquarters, in pursuit of That is intolerable. evidence relating to the 2017 publication of the I have found the ABC to be remarkably resilient, so-called Afghan Files, has been a rude wake- powered by the energy and creativity of its up call for us and other media organisations. staff and the admiration and respect of the The legal framework and the mindset of community. It is an honour to oversee such a our regulators and lawmakers is tilted too great combination. Whatever the challenges, much towards secrecy and intimidation of we face the future with confidence. journalists and whistleblowers. As I pointed out to Prime Minister Morrison, no journalist should face imprisonment for doing his or her job – informing the public. The ABC will fight the legality of the raid and seek the return of the seized information. We will continue to campaign with our media colleagues for a shift in balance toward media freedom and the public’s right to know. Again, I come back to trust. The public trust Ita Buttrose us to speak truth to power. A hobbled ABC is Chair, Australian Broadcasting Corporation Chair Ita Buttrose with Richard Martin and Fiona Ellis-Jones. Image: Mridula Amin Foreword from the Chair 3 The Board AC, OBE Ita ButtroseChair DavidABC Managing Anderson Director 7 March 2019 - 6 March 2024 6 May 2019 - 5 May 2024 Ita Buttrose has held executive and editing David Anderson was appointed as the ABC’s roles for major Australian media companies Managing Director in May 2019 for a five-year including Australian Consolidated Press term. David has enjoyed a successful career in (now Bauer Media), News Ltd and Fairfax, and the broadcast television and media industry for has run her own media company, Capricorn over 30 years, with a long history as a television Publishing. She has served on the boards executive and a strong track record in television of Australian Consolidated Press, News production and commissioning successful Corp Australia, and Television & Telecasters programs across all genres. Properties Pty Ltd. (Network TEN). She has Prior to his appointment as Managing Director, worked in print, radio and television and has David served as Director Entertainment & written 11 books. She was inducted into the Specialist from February 2018, expanding Australian Media Hall of Fame in 2017. his previous role as Director Television to be A founding member and former president of responsible for all ABC radio music networks, Chief Executive Women, Ita is a committed podcasts and specialist radio content, as well community and welfare contributor. She chaired as the ABC’s broadcast television networks, Arthritis Australia from 2003 to 2006 and later including on-demand products and services, Alzheimer’s (now Dementia) Australia from 2011 and all associated websites and apps. to 2014 and she is now National Ambassador for David was previously the Director of the Dementia Australia. ABC’s Digital Network and Strategy & She has been a member of the Sydney Symphony Planning divisions, where he worked to Council since 2010 and a Trustee of Centennial refocus expenditure in the organisation and Moore Park Trust in Sydney since 2012. towards audience-centred content, products She is a member of the Australian Institute of and services; and as Director of Digital Company Directors.