Friday 19th of April 2024
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... and leave it to the "adult" in charge...

SBS capers

 

Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull lost an internal battle with Prime Minister Tony Abbott over whether businessman Joseph Skrzynski should be appointed to a second term as SBS chairman.

Fairfax Media understands Mr Turnbull lobbied strongly for the investment banker - whose five-year term expires next Wednesday - to remain in the position but was overruled by the Prime Minister's office.

In a statement released on Monday, Mr Turnbull praised Mr Skrzynski as an "outstanding chairman" and said that "SBS is a stronger organisation for his leadership".

Labor leapt upon Mr Skrzynski's departure to demand the Abbott government commit to retaining a merit-based process for ABC and SBS board appointments.

There are concerns within the ABC and SBS that the government has stalled board appointments until it can replace two members of the independent four-person nomination panel with its own appointees.

Mr Skrzynski's departure means SBS could be without a chair for up to six months during a politically- sensitive period for the public broadcaster. The Abbott government has launched an "efficiency study" into ABC and SBS which is due to report back in April with suggested cost savings.


Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/malcolm-turnbull-rolled-by-tony-abbott-on-reappointment-of-sbs-head-joseph-skrzynski-20140317-34xxg.html#ixzz2wFcw2KGU


Abbott wants to load the boards of the national broadcasters with his hard-right henchmen... He does not want anyone who is fair minded and "middle of the road". Business sense is irrelevant or a hindrance in this regard. Tony wants hard right-wing nuts ideologists who will crack the whip on anything with a whiff of social or scientific value.

Though Abbott claims that his government is an "adult" government, it's nothing more than a gang of old private school-tie underaged bullies and beefy thugs.

Any opportunity Tony can find to bury Malcolm, Tony Abbott will use — while Malcolm takes the wedgie with a silly grin...

The ABC and SBS are running on an oil rag... The only cost saving there would be to cut the rag in bits... That would be silly, stupid and, of course, sought after by little dictator Abbottus.
Malcolm, why don't you do the right thing and tell Tony to piss orf?... Tell him to get off your turf!

 

cuts at the ABC...

 

EIGHTY jobs are set to go at the ABC, the Community and Public Sector Union has confirmed.

Staff in Melbourne are being briefed by head of news Kate Torney about the cuts, which the union understands will mostly be felt in the Victorian capital.

The jobs will be across ABC International, which runs the Australia Network contract and the Asia Pacific News Centre. Staff have been told there will be no voluntary redundancies. Instead bosses will select who they want to keep.

The national broadcaster’s budget was cut by $43 million in the May budget and an efficiency review has recommended cutting a further $40-50 million.

That equates to a four per cent cut to the ABC’s annual budget of $1.28 billion.

read more: http://www.news.com.au/finance/business/the-abc-to-cut-80-jobs-across-asia-pacific-news-and-abc-international/story-fnki1jcy-1226988419023

 

 See toon and article at top...

 

having a bet each way, regrettably...

Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull says job cuts from the ABC's Australia Network are "regrettable", amid union calls for voluntary redundancies.

The ABC will lose about 80 jobs from its international arm after the Federal Government cancelled the 10-year Australia Network overseas broadcasting contract.

Mr Turnbull says it was not his decision to cut jobs but that of the ABC's management.

"If you reduce the ABC's revenue, in this case from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, by something in the order of $20 million a year... because most of the ABC's overhead is people... then you're going to lose some people," he said

"It is very regrettable."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-07-15/malcolm-turnbull-says-abc-job-cuts-regrettable/5597452

 

Turnbull goes along with the stupidity of the Abbott regime...