**TRUE** - Foreign Minister Julie Bishop did publicly criticize the ABC in January 2014 regarding its fulfilment of obligations to promote Australian interests in Asia.
On January 2, 2014, Bishop was quoted in The Australian newspaper (News Corp) expressing concerns about the ABC-run Australia Network service: "I also have concerns about the quality of the programming and whether it is meeting the goal of promoting Australia's interests overseas...
In a subsequent ABC Radio interview, Bishop stated: "I am concerned given the number of complaints... that while the content and program selection is obviously up to the ABC, that it's not actually meeting its charter and code of practice" [2].
The criticism followed a letter from DFAT's first assistant secretary Justin Brown, which indicated the department was monitoring ABC performance to ensure the service "becomes a more effective vehicle for advancing Australia's broad and enduring interests in the Asian region" [1].
**The claim omits several critical pieces of context:**
1. **Specific Service, Not General ABC**: Bishop was referring specifically to the "Australia Network" - a $223 million, 10-year government-funded overseas television broadcasting service contract awarded to the ABC in 2011, not the ABC's domestic operations generally [1][2].
This service was created explicitly for "soft diplomacy" to improve understanding of Australia in the Asia-Pacific region.
2. **Contractual Obligations**: The ABC had contractual obligations under the DFAT funding agreement to "foster the improved understanding of Australia's global role and to increase awareness of the links between Australia and the Asian region" and to "project a positive and contemporary image of Australia and promote a clear understanding of government policies" [1].
DFAT paid the ABC $21.9 million annually for this service [1].
3. **Origins of the Criticism**: Bishop's concerns were prompted by complaints from conservative blogger and former radio host Michael Smith, who wrote to DFAT in November 2013 complaining about specific ABC stories he viewed as negative toward the government, including coverage of asylum seeker briefings and climate change negotiations [1].
4. **Tender Process Controversy**: The context includes the controversial 2011 tender process where the Gillard Labor government awarded the contract to the ABC after leaks suggested the tender evaluation panel had recommended Sky News (part-owned by News Corp).
Bishop specifically referenced this history, saying Labor had "corrupted the tender process" [1].
5. **Part of Broader Pattern**: The criticism came amid a series of Coalition attacks on the ABC in late 2013/early 2014.
In December 2013, Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull had accused the ABC of "error of judgment" for collaborating with Guardian Australia on stories about Australian spying on Indonesian officials [1].
6. **Outcome**: The Australia Network was ultimately axed in the May 2014 budget, with the service ceasing operations on September 28, 2014 [4].
**The Guardian (the original source):**
The Guardian is widely assessed by media bias monitoring organizations as having a left-leaning editorial stance:
- Ad Fontes Media rates The Guardian as "Skews Left" in bias and "Reliable, Analysis/Fact Reporting" in reliability [5]
- AllSides rates The Guardian as "Lean Left" based on blind bias surveys of 1,331 people across the political spectrum [6]
- Factually.co notes The Guardian is "widely regarded by media watchdogs as left-leaning rather than neutral" [7]
The Guardian is generally considered reliable for factual reporting, though its editorial stance and story selection may reflect progressive viewpoints.
The article in question was written by Daniel Hurst, a Guardian Australia political correspondent at the time, and accurately reported Bishop's comments with appropriate context.
**Secondary sources used in this analysis:**
- The Sydney Morning Herald (SMH): Generally rated as center-left, part of Nine Entertainment, mainstream reputable Australian news source
- The Australian: News Corp-owned, generally considered conservative-leaning, was the original publisher of Bishop's comments
- Michael Smith's blog: Conservative opinion blog, not a mainstream news source, cited as the origin of complaints
**Did Labor governments also criticize or pressure the ABC?**
Yes - both Labor and Coalition governments have a long history of tension with and attempts to influence the ABC.
* * * *
According to research from the University of Melbourne published in The Conversation: "History tells us that no matter which side of politics - Labor or Coalition - is in power, there is no respite for the ABC from incipient government hostility" [8].
**Specific Labor examples:**
1. **The 1975 Dismissal**: The ABC's coverage of the dismissal of Gough Whitlam's Labor government was highly controversial, with accusations of bias from both sides.
The National Archives of Australia documents the intense political pressure on the ABC during this period [9].
2. **Tender Process Manipulation (2011)**: As noted above, the Gillard Labor government's handling of the Australia Network tender process - including changing the decision-maker from DFAT secretary to Communications Minister Stephen Conroy after leaks favored Sky News - was found by the Australian National Audit Office to have "presented the Australian government in a poor light" and raised "perceptions of a conflict of interest" given Conroy's portfolio responsibilities for the ABC [1][3].
3. **Ongoing tensions**: Multiple academic analyses confirm that both parties have historically sought to influence ABC coverage when in government, with complaints about perceived bias being common from whichever party is in power.
**Comparison**: While this specific incident involved Coalition criticism of the ABC, the broader pattern of government-ABC tension is bipartisan.
Bishop's concerns - raised following complaints from a conservative blogger - focused on whether the ABC was fulfilling these contractual obligations under the $223 million agreement.
The criticism was part of a broader pattern of Coalition dissatisfaction with ABC coverage in late 2013, particularly following ABC's collaboration with Guardian Australia on stories about Australian intelligence operations in Indonesia.
DFAT's response to the complaints explicitly noted that "the department has no authority to direct the ABC in relation to program selection; editorial matters remain the ABC's responsibility in accordance with the ABC charter and the codes of practice" [1].
**Key context**: This type of government criticism of the ABC is not unique to the Coalition.
The Australia Network's subsequent axing in the 2014 budget suggests the criticism may have been a prelude to cutting the service rather than genuine concern about charter compliance.
Bishop was referring to a specific contractual service (Australia Network) with explicit obligations to promote Australian interests, and she specifically raised concerns about the ABC not meeting its "charter and code of practice" [2].
That said, the criticism arose from a politically charged context involving conservative complaints and followed a pattern of Coalition attacks on the ABC, ultimately leading to the service's cancellation.
Bishop was referring to a specific contractual service (Australia Network) with explicit obligations to promote Australian interests, and she specifically raised concerns about the ABC not meeting its "charter and code of practice" [2].
That said, the criticism arose from a politically charged context involving conservative complaints and followed a pattern of Coalition attacks on the ABC, ultimately leading to the service's cancellation.