Submissions Made To The Indo-Pacific Broadcasting Review

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Rodney Tiffen, an Emeritus Professor at the University of Sydney with expertise in Australian international broadcasting, submitted a personal submission to the Indo-Pacific Broadcasting Strategy Review. Drawing on his recent academic article and participation in three Radio Australia reviews between 1989-1997, Tiffen argues that Australian international television broadcasting has been undermined by political instability and inadequate funding. He identifies two major damaging decisions—the 1996 privatisation and 2014 ABC contract cancellation—both made early in Coalition governments despite the service performing well. Tiffen recommends establishing a direct government funding line from DFAT, with parliamentary allocation guaranteed at inflation-adjusted levels for at least seven years. He proposes housing the international service within the ABC under autonomous governance arrangements, arguing the broadcaster's professional standards and economies of scale outweigh disadvantages of being a low priority within ABC decision-making and becoming caught in government-broadcaster conflicts.