Now based in the UK, Boney broke her silence by posting a screengrab of ABC managing director David Anderson responding to the release of the scathing report.
‘Not surprised by this unfortunately,’ she wrote on her Instagram story.
'I heard some pretty awful comments an ABC employee made about my Oxford offer very recently and whether or not I’d been offered it on merit.
‘If they’re willing to say that publicly, they’re willing to bully Aboriginal staff.’
Former ABC journalist Tracey Holmes posted on X yesterday:
The Independent Review’s findings of systemic racism at the ABC should shock nobody - every person either suffered it, witnessed it, or perpetrated it.
One senior staff member, who had informed management of their own particular experiences, waited to hear from the Independent reviewers only to be told after the review had closed that one of the parameters was that individuals could not be approached directly by them. How many others were in the same boat?
It is good to hear the MD, David Anderson, commit to adopting the recommendations and taking action against perpetrators.
Every single person who has ever worked at the ABC went there because they believed in a good, strong, public broadcaster. It’s a shame so many left disappointed and disillusioned by their experience.
I hope those that remain will use this report to rebuild an Australian institution that by its very charter should reflect the nation in all its diversity.
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ABC Commercial unveils a diverse slate of content for MIPCOM 2024
Sydney, Australia: ABC Commercial is thrilled to return to Cannes for MIPCOM 2024 with a diverse slate of scripted and unscripted programs plus new formats.
Heading up our scripted slate is the stylish and utterly gorgeous LADIES IN BLACK (6 x 60’) , a vibrant drama series from Bunya Productions (The Drovers Wife, Mystery Road ). Picking up six months after the events of Bruce Beresford’s film, LADIES IN BLACK dives into the fashion, romance, excitement and challenge of women’s lives at a time of momentous transformation. A wild ride through Asian pop culture and the trials of modern dating, WHITE FEVER (6 x 30’) from Black Sheep Films, Orange Entertainment Co. & Unruly Productions delivers some unexpected laughs and real heart.
You Can’t Ask That creator/director Kirk Docker is back with the tentpole factual entertainment program I WAS ACTUALLY THERE (6 x 30’), a compelling and unvarnished retelling of events that shape Australia as a nation, while Australia’s national treasure delivers aged care residents a new appetite for life in a world first social experiment, MAGGIE BEER’S BIG MISSION (3 x 60’). Both programs have been nominated at this year’s C21 International Format Awards.
The latest season of the beloved children’s show READY, STEADY, WIGGLE! (S7: 26 x 15’) delivers double the wiggles and double the fun! All the Wiggles - Anthony, Caterina, Lachy, Simon, Lucia, John, Tsehay and Evie – are back for dancing, singing, problem-solving and, above all, a whole lot of fun!
Food and conversation are the perfect partners in our brand-new, colourful cooking show A BITE TO EAT WITH ALICE (50 x 30’) , focusing on simple and fresh recipes that are built around accessible and affordable ingredients, and that can be readily prepared at home with maximum fun.
Knock-out factual entertainment slate also includes OFF MENU (3 x 60’), a fascinating, behind-the-scenes look at some of Australia’s top restaurants and their extraordinary owners, as well as MEET THE NEIGHBOURS (3 x 60’), WHO THE BLOODY HELL ARE WE? (3 x 60’) and MIRIAM MARGOLYES: IMPOSSIBLY AUSTRALIAN (3 x 60’).
Audiences will love the combination of smarts and fun in eye-popping factual series including MEGAFAUNA: WHAT KILLED AUSTRALIA’S GIANTS? (2 x 60’), SECRET SCIENCE (7 x 30’) , THE SECRET LIFE OF OUR URBAN BIRDS (4 x 60’) , and more.
Heading up our format slate is our much-loved series MUSTER DOGS (new season: 6 x 60’) , which continues to foster emotional connections with audiences. Featuring a cast of unique characters and adorable puppies, the series illuminates a life of resilience as farmers bond and work with the dogs who are always by their side.
Interested in a program that will inspire kids to get their hands dirty? The new season of GARDENING AUSTRALIA JUNIOR (20x15’) is packed full of tips, tricks and activities for the entire family that can easily be adapted for all seasons and locations.
Plus there’s FIZZY AND SUDS (26 x 15’) , a fabulously entertaining factual series for preschoolers that captures the bubbly thrill of a newly discovered passion, and coming-of-age sci-fi comedy PLANET LULIN (10 x 30’), which navigates growing up through the eyes of a 12-year-old half-human half-extra-terrestrial!
“ABC Commercial is excited to hit the ground running with our exceptional new slate of content at MIPCOM 2024” says Karen Quinn, Manager: Content Sales, ABC Commercial , “With formats like I WAS ACTUALLY THERE and MAGGIE BEER’S BIG MISSION already garnering international attention and C21 International Format Award nominations, we’re confident in the global appeal of our Australian storytelling. We’re proud to represent the very best of Australian talent and look forward to sharing our slate with clients.”
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UPDATE: ABC press release
ABC General Counsel Ingrid Silver
The ABC General Counsel Ingrid Silver has advised the ABC she will leave the Corporation after more than three years in the role.
Ingrid joined the ABC in September 2021 with more than 25 years’ international experience in the media and law.
As a digital media, broadcast and communications transaction and regulatory expert, she brought to the ABC an impressive range of skills and experiences.
ABC Managing Director David Anderson said: “Ingrid has provided significant leadership and advice over the past three years across several challenging issues. She has also been a valued member of the leadership team.
“The ABC thanks Ingrid for her contribution and wishes her all the best for her future endeavours.”
The ABC will begin a recruitment process for ABC General Counsel in due course.
ABC welcomes Jessica Radburn as Head of Audio on Demand
The ABC is delighted to announce the appointment of internationally renowned audio executive Jessica Radburn as our Head of Audio on Demand.
Reporting to the Head of Audio, Jessica will lead the ABC’s audio on demand strategy including our commissioning and development processes. She will manage our podcast slate to ensure it aligns to the ABC’s audience priorities across all our key brands.
Jessica was most recently the Head of International Podcast Content for Podcast publisher Wondery where she oversaw all of Wondery’s original podcasts outside of the US, including #1 shows Ghost Story, Price of Paradise and Kurt Krömer - Feelings.
Prior to her time with Wondery, Jessica spent 5 years working in various roles at leading spoken word entertainment company, Audible. She was the Senior Director of Global Content Programming where she oversaw Audible’s multi-language global audio original program. She was also Director of Original Content for Audible in the Unites States where she was responsible for the strategic development and negotiation of premium audio content with entertainment brands, creators, and celebrities, including DC Comics and the Fox Entertainment Group.
Before that, Jessica was Audible’s Head of Content in Australia and New Zealand, overseeing the transformation of its Australian audio strategy from audiobook distribution to content licensor and original content creator.
Of her new role Jessica said: “I am excited to return to Australia and the ABC as the first Head of Audio On Demand. The ABC has a well-earned reputation, internationally and locally, for original and compelling story-telling.
“It’s an honour to have the opportunity to build on that renown, working with some of the country’s best voices and creators to produce shows that connect, inspire and entertain our listeners.”
Of her appointment ABC Head of Audio Ben Latimer said: “I am thrilled to have Jessica joining the ABC as our Head of Audio on Demand.
“Jessica’s unparalleled content experience in Australia and internationally will be an invaluable resource for the ABC as we continue to build on our success as one of Australia’s most successful podcast publishers.”
Jessica will commence in the role on 1 November.
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ABC Launches Australia–New Caledonia Media Partnership with NC La 1ère and Caledonia TV
The Australia–New Caledonia Media Partnership has been officially launched following the signing of two Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) between the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and New Caledonian public broadcasters NC La 1ère and Caledonia TV.
This landmark partnership aims to foster greater cross-cultural exchange and strengthen cooperation between Australia and New Caledonia’s public service media organisations. The ABC’s international division has developed the agreements between the ABC, NC La 1ère and Caledonia TV which facilitate content sharing and future content collaborations.
The partnership was commemorated with a reception hosted by Australia’s Consul-General in New Caledonia, Ms. Annelise Young, at the Australian Consulate-General in Nouméa. Senior representatives from NC La 1ère and Caledonia TV, alongside ABC International Services Manager Nesryn Bouziane, attended the event to sign the MOUs and celebrate the new partnership.
As the foundation of the Australia–New Caledonia Media Partnership, these MOUs reflect the ABC’s commitment to closer cooperation with NC La 1ère and Caledonia TV. The partnership will focus on content exchange and sharing, with the ABC providing a range of current affairs, educational, and cultural programs — including The Pacific, ABC Australia’s flagship regional news program, which is now broadcast weekly on NC La 1ère.
The agreements also pave the way for the exchange of digital news and video footage for use in news bulletins and documentaries. This enhanced collaboration will strengthen the coverage of regional news and issues, benefiting the audiences of ABC, NC La 1ère, and Caledonia TV. Additionally, the partnership creates opportunities for future collaborations in regional events, co-productions, and content development.
ABC International Head Claire M. Gorman said: “The Australia–New Caledonia Media Partnership marks an exciting milestone in strengthening our regional ties with fellow broadcasters. We are eager to work closely with NC La 1ère and Caledonia TV to share valuable content and ideas. These MOUs represent a significant step forward in our collaborative efforts, allowing us to expand our programming and deliver even more diverse content to audiences in Australia and across the Pacific.”
Bénédicte Gambey, Regional Director of NC La 1ère, said: “This partnership rekindles the historic ties between public broadcasters ABC and NC La 1ère. We honour our predecessors who made it their mission to bring regional news into Caledonian homes and communities. Today, this partnership strengthens NC La 1ère’s role in informing the public and enriches our programming with content from the Pacific. In a hyper-connected world dominated by social media, where it’s nearly impossible to distinguish between news, rumours, or conspiracy theories, our agreement reaffirms the mutual commitment of media outlets that share the same ethics and respect for our people.”
Pierre Welepa, General Director of Calédonia TV, said: “Since Calédonia was founded 10 years ago, we have strived to be a ‘window to the world,’ particularly to our beautiful Pacific region, while also serving as a ‘mirror’ of Caledonian identity. This historic agreement with ABC allows us to further integrate our region’s cultural diversity and languages into our programming, while partnering with the oldest media outlet in the South Pacific. It is also an opportunity to share more of Caledonia’s authenticity across the Pacific, something the ABC understands and supports as we open up to the world. This new visibility comes at a time when it’s more important than ever to keep our connection to the Pacific alive.”
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The full lecture speech
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Correcting the Record: James Madden in The Australian
A report in The Australian by James Madden on 15 October 2024 (“ABC faces censure over campaigns on nuclear plants and retirement villages”) claims that recent stories have “drawn criticism”, face “censure” and are “misleading”, “under fire”, “activist-led”, “facing accusations” and the “centre of a storm”.
Yet the only sources it cites are the vested interests that are the subjects of the reporting – lobby group Nuclear for Australia and retirement village operator Pinnacle Living. We can’t see any effort in the story to report these claims in a balanced way. Further, despite the ABC responding at length to its queries, The Australian ignored almost all of our response.
The prominent headline on The Australian’s website then troublingly makes Adele Ferguson, one of Australia’s most respected journalists and a Member of the Order of Australia for her contribution to journalism, the face of the criticism and allegations of “misleading” journalism. That this is based on such flimsy reporting has to be called out.
The ABC has detailed specific accuracy concerns to News Corporation management and asked for the story to be transparently updated.
There is a long-term pattern in The Australian’s reporting that we believe consistently breaches the Press Council Principles for Accuracy and Clarity, Fairness and Balance and Integrity and Transparency. It degrades the pursuit of public interest journalism and public perception of all media.
For the record, these are the two responses the ABC provided to The Australian in full:
1st response
Adele Ferguson is one of Australia’s most decorated and thorough journalists. The two stories referred to were the result of months of investigation and identified serious shortcomings in some but not all retirement villages.
It would be a great pity if The Australian was to seek to cast aspersions on a fine piece of journalism by one of Australia’s pre-eminent reporters that is seeking accountability on behalf of many people, particularly in a vulnerable elderly community.
This important investigation has uncovered instances of some retirement villages charging exorbitant fees, using complex contracts and in some situations leaving elderly Australians with insufficient funds to pay to enter aged care, and reported on industry lobby group Retirement Living Council calling for more consumer protections. Already it has prompted Federal Financial Services Minister Stephen Jones to flag action to stamp out bad behaviour by retirement village operators and the Queensland government to look into the sales practices of one operator.
The ABC has received hundreds of messages from retirement village residents and their families.
It is the legitimate role of all journalism, including objective and impartial journalism, and particularly investigative journalism, to identify and call out malpractice, maladministration and disfunction where the evidence clearly demonstrates it. It is implicit in all this journalism that action should be taken.
In the very best traditions of public interest journalism Adele Ferguson has identified a serious problem that clearly needs to be addressed. The stories and the interview with Sarah Ferguson were completely in accord with the ABC’s editorial policies in relation to impartiality.
The stories did include quotes supporting the retirement village industry and clearly stated that the smoking ban had been voted on by residents.
2nd response
The stories are investigating identified serious shortcomings in the retirement village industry and the regulation of the sector. The investigation spanned months and a team of journalists spoke to residents inside retirement villages around Australia, as well as staff, auditors, lobbyists, academics, actuaries and politicians. This included detailed questions being put to Retirement Living Council executive director Daniel Gannon, who represents the operators, for a response, and an interview with him was included. He spoke about happy residents and this was included in our coverage.
The vote on the smoking ban by residents was clearly stated multiple times in the broadcast and digital stories.
“In 2019 things got even worse for her when the village implemented a smoking ban - even inside her home - after a vote by residents.”
“Her offence? Repeatedly breaching a smoking ban introduced in 2019 — 10 years after she moved in — following a residents’ vote that made the entire village smoke-free, including inside her home and courtyard."
It also has a significant impact on the ability of others to criticise the ABC for legitimate reasons.
They both lost to The Jury: Murder Trial (distributed by Blue Ant Studios) in the category. Upcoming SBS show The Jury: Death on the Staircase was adapted from The Jury: Murder Trial. However, Maggie Beer was named Best Host of a Format.
Media Literacy Week 2024: Responding to misinformation
This Media Literacy Week, ABC Education has partnered with the Parramatta Library to equip local secondary school students with the knowledge and skills to identify, understand, and respond to false and misleading information online.
With the recent opening of ABC Parramatta, the inaugural programming partnership between ABC Education and the Parramatta Library is a first step towards strengthening access to media literacy opportunities and to supporting the development of critical media capabilities amongst students, teachers, and schools in Western Sydney.
In 2024, ABC Education have invited students from Parramatta to be a part of a hands-on workshop where they can share their experiences and gain new insights into topics like misinformation and fake news. The students will also learn about the role of news and journalism in politics and democracy, hearing from the talented journalists from Australia’s longest running news program, Behind the News (BTN).
These activities expand from ABC Education’s current involvement as a key partner in a nation-wide media literacy research project that explores Australian adults’ experiences with identifying, navigating, and assessing misinformation online. As part of this project, ABC Education is working alongside other public cultural institutions, such as libraries and museums, to design and deliver targeted media literacy programs that can better assist adult Australians to make sense of false, misleading, or harmful online content.
ABC Education is also continuing its advocacy role as part of the Australian Media Literacy Alliance (AMLA). Featured Media Literacy Week events facilitated by AMLA member organisations can be found on the AMLA website.
Head of ABC Education, Annabel Astbury said: “In a year when so many democratic nations have gone to the polls, learning how to develop the skills and attributes to decipher mis- and disinformation has never been more important. ABC Education is proud to produce its media literacy resources for Australian students to become informed citizens."
The ABC’s sixth annual national Media Literacy Week coincides with UNESCO’s Global Media and Information Literacy Week (24–31 October), which promotes and celebrates media literacy as a way to foster social inclusion, civic participation, and intercultural dialogue. The ABC Education’s Media Literacy website will spotlight popular media literacy resources and articles that teachers, parents, and students can use to explore news and media subjects mapped to the Australian Curriculum, such as media ethics, ‘information disorder’, and quality public journalism.
Visit Media Literacy - ABC Education and join the global conversation: #medialiteracyweek
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The third division will be led by ABC’s current head of audio, Ben Latimer, the broadcaster’s outgoing managing director David Anderson told staff on Thursday in an email seen by this masthead. The division will consolidate the current Audio and ABC Listen teams, which currently sit in the Content division.
Anderson said the decision to carve out the audio content put the medium at the forefront of the ABC’s future.
The new division will include the capital city network and sport, music stations, podcasting, Radio National, ABC Classic, Jazz, Triple J, Double J and the ABC Country teams. The ABC’s audio app, ABC Listen, will also move from the Content to Audio division.
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2024 ABC Boyer Lecture series explores classical music in the contemporary age
In a series of four orations delivered by noted musicians and luminaries, the 2024 Boyer Lectures will explore the state of classical music in Australia in the contemporary age.
The series will commence with Professor Anna Goldsworthy delivering a moving lecture with live music exploring the connection between life and music on Thursday 31 October at the ABC Ultimo Studios.
Professor Goldsworthy, Director of the Elder Conservatorium of Music at the University of Adelaide, said of her contribution to the lecture series, “Performing is an act of communion: with the composer, with your colleagues, but also – critically – with your audience, which almost wills the experience into being.
“It offers a mode of connection that can feel telepathic. It was the internet before the internet; it is a social media that feeds rather than depletes.”
The lecture will be broadcast on ABC TV and ABC iview on November 1 and later heard on ABC Radio National on November 2.
ABC Chair Kim Williams AM said “The Boyer Lectures started initially as The ABC Lectures in 1959. It is the major broadcast public lecture series presented in Australia, where leading Australian (and in some instances international) contributors are invited to express their thoughts on major social, cultural, scientific or political issues.
“The lecture series was modelled on the Reith Lectures which were initiated by the BBC to honour its first Director General, Lord Reith. Commencing in 1948, the first BBC Reith Lecture series was given by Bertrand Russell.
“The ABC Lectures were quickly renamed the Boyer Lectures in 1961 to honour Sir Richard Boyer upon his death. Sir Richard was, of course, the distinguished chair of the ABC from 1945 up until his death in 1961.
“2024 will see the 65th anniversary of the ABC/Boyer Lectures and this year hosts four distinguished speakers presenting an anthology series addressing classical music in Australia today. This will be the first time music features as a Boyer Lecture subject.
“There have been four previous anthology lecture series – in 1988 (when four previous speakers gave fresh addresses for the Australian Bicentennial), 1991 when there were two speakers (Faye Gale and Ian Lowe addressing the topic of A Changing Australia), 1993 when seven distinguished Australians (Ian Anderson, Noel Pearson, Dr Yunupingu, Dot West, Jeannie Bell, Gaetano Lui Jnr, and Helen Corbett) were invited to deliver individual lectures to mark the UN’s Year of Indigenous People, and 2002, when the invited speaker was unable to deliver the lectures and the then ABC Chair, Donald McDonald AC delivered introductions to four previously delivered Boyer lectures as a substitute.
“The Boyer Lectures have long been a cornerstone of Radio National’s output and are one of the highlights in Radio National programming annually. To hear the series address music seriously will be, I have no doubt, a rare and special treat for many Australians.”
In 2024 the distinguished composer, writer, and ABC broadcaster, Andrew Ford (long term presenter of The Music Show on Radio National) will host the four speakers and link the series.
Professor Goldsworthy’s lecture will be followed by lectures on Radio National throughout November by Lyn Williams AM, founder and director of Gondwana Choirs, Iain Grandage, leading Australian composer and former Artistic Director of the Perth Festival and accomplished violist, conductor and composer, Aaron Wyatt.
About the speakers:
Professor Anna Goldsworthy
Professor Anna Goldsworthy performs extensively throughout Australia and internationally, as a soloist and collaborator. She is a founding member of Seraphim Trio, whose most recent recordings are the ARIA-award-winning Thirteen Ways to Look at Birds for Decca, with Paul Kelly, James Ledger, and Alice Keath, and the ABC Classics set Trio Through Time for ABC Classics.
A respected author, Professor Goldsworthy’s debut memoir Piano Lessons was released in Australia, North America, Germany, Korea and Vietnam, and will soon be published in China. Her most recent book, the novel Melting Moments, was released in 2020. She is the author of several works for the stage, including the libretto of the Graeme Koehne’s opera A Christmas Carol,
Professor Goldsworthy has directed numerous festivals, including the Port Fairy Spring Music Festival and the Coriole Music Festival. In 2024, she will direct the Music and Mountains Festival in Queenstown, New Zealand.
Lyn Williams AM
For over 30 years Lyn William has harnessed the incredible power of young voices through her world-renowned ensembles: the Sydney Children’s Choir, Gondwana Voices, the Gondwana Indigenous Children’s Choir and Marliya. Her choirs have appeared with the world’s leading orchestras and conductors and at festivals including the BBC Proms and Polyfollia.
Lyn has commissioned over 200 works from composers across Australia and around the world and continues to foster strong relationships with First Nations artists across Australia. Lyn enjoys a long-standing collaboration with singer-songwriter Felix Riebl of the Cat Empire and the singers of Marliya, presenting the critically acclaimed show Spinifex Gum, which has featured at almost every Australian arts festival since its premiere at the Adelaide Festival in 2018.
In 2017, Lyn received the Australia Council for the Arts’ Don Banks Music Award for outstanding and sustained contribution to music in Australia, in recognition of her lifework as founder and director of Gondwana Choirs.
Iain Grandage
Composer Iain Grandage recently completed a five-year tenure as Artistic Director of the Perth Festival (2020-2024) and has previously been Artistic Director of the Port Fairy Spring Music Festival, curated the fine music program for the Adelaide Festival (Chamber Landscapes) and was Composer-in-Residence with the WA Symphony Orchestra. He was the 2023 West Australian of the Year for Culture & the Arts.
Iain’s concert works have been performed by the ACO, Brodsky String Quartet, Australian String Quartet, Australian Brass Quintet, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Sara Macliver, Craig Ogden, Claire Edwardes and choirs and orchestras around Australia.
His compositions for the theatre include Helpmann Award winning scores for Cloudstreet, The Secret River, When Time Stops and (in collaboration with Kate Miller-Heidke) The Rabbits, and Green Room Award winning scores for The Riders, Lawn, In the Next Room, Babes in the Wood, The Odyssey and The Blue Room.
Iain’s score for the Garin Nugroho silent film Satan Jawa, co-written with Rahayu Suppangah for the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and gamelan musicians, received a Helpmann award for best score, as well as rave reviews from critics.
Aaron Wyatt
Aaron is an accomplished violist, conductor, composer, programmer and academic. Currently an assistant lecturer at Monash University, he has played in a wide variety of ensembles across many different genres, and is a long term member of the award winning Decibel New Music ensemble.
As well as performing with the ensemble, he is the developer behind the Decibel ScorePlayer app, the group’s cutting edge, animated graphic notation software for the iPad. An emerging conductor, he was nominated for a Helpmann Award for his role as musical director of the premiere season of Cat Hope’s opera, Speechless, and is the director of Ensemble Dutala, Australia’s first First Nations chamber ensemble. An advocate for Indigenous classical music and musicians, he premiered Deborah Cheetham Fraillon’s work, Nanyubak, for viola and orchestra as a soloist with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, and during a conducting engagement with them he became the first Indigenous Australian to conduct one of the state symphony orchestras in concert. He has since gone on to work with the ASO and SSO, and conducted the premiere of the first opera in Noongar, Gina Williams’ and Guy Ghouse’s Koolbardi Wer Wardong with the WA Opera.
As a composer he has been a participant in the Ngarra-Burria First Peoples composer program, writing for Ensemble Offspring. He has also written a number of electro-acoustic works, using a mix of traditional and animated graphic notation for Decibel, GreyWing Ensemble, Ensemble Dutala, and for Kyla Matsuura-miller’s Freedman Fellowship project, Three Conversations.
The ABC celebrates Ausmusic month this November**
Over the past 25 years, Ausmusic Month has been celebrated widely across the ABC and this November is no different.
Across the entire month it’s all Aussie - all music - all the time, with documentaries, specials and live concerts featuring some of the nation’s biggest music icons.
Turn on and tune in to content across ABC iview and ABC TV, ABC Family and ABC Entertains, ABC listen, triple j, ABC Local Radio, ABC Classic, ABC Jazz, ABC Country and ABC digital and social.
Ausmusic Month content highlights include:
Take 5 With Zan Rowe – Season 3, Episode 6 – Casey Donovan
Premieres Tuesday 5 November at 8.30pm on ABC TV. Stream the entire season on ABC iview. Hear Take 5 with Zan Rowe on Double J each Friday from 10am and anytime on the ABC listen app.
Casey Donovan is a powerhouse performer who brings joy to every stage and screen she graces. It’s impossible not to smile in her presence. Growing up in the public eye, hers is a story of resilience, vulnerability and finding her place.
Spicks & Specks
Continues Sundays at 7.30pm. Stream more episodes on ABC iview.
There’s a whole new g-g-g- generation of musicians to celebrate, and fresh comedians to bring the good times. Host Adam Hills will bring alive the sounds of music trivia on Australia’s most popular music quiz show. And see that girl Myf Warhurst steal the scene, opposite Alan Brough who will take your breath away with his music knowledge.
Midnight Oil: The Hardest Line
Premieres Tuesday 12 November at 8.30pm on ABC TV and ABC iview.
From their 70’s punk rock roots right through until their recent farewell tour, this film tells the previously untold story of an uncompromising Australian rock band whose musical activism broadened the social and political perceptions of multiple generations.
Midnight Oil’s often controversial music has narrated Australia’s lives and times for over 40 tumultuous years - grappling constantly with who we are and who we want to be.
Countdown: 50 Years On
Premieres Saturday 16 November at 7.30pm on ABC TV and ABC iview.
On 8 November 1974, Countdown burst into loungerooms all over the nation and set the music scene on fire. 50 years on, the ABC is inviting you back to the party to celebrate the little Aussie show that became a global phenomenon.
Hosted by Myf Warhust with Tony Armstrong, the epic night of music will feature Countdown heavy hitters Daryl Braithwaite, Joe Camilleri, Kate Ceberano, GANGgajang, Marcia Hines, Grace Knight, Russell Morris, Leo Sayer and Ross Wilson, as well as contemporary legends Electric Fields, Kate Miller-Heidke, Nooky, Regurgitator and Katy Steele reimagining the classic Countdown hits.
Headliners
Premieres Tuesday 19 November at 8pm on ABC TV and stream all episodes on ABC iview.
A celebration of music and inclusion, this raw, candid and heartwarming series showcases the remarkable talents of musicians with a disability who have until now, mostly been excluded from Australia’s mainstream music landscape.
Musician and fervent campaigner for inclusion Elly-May Barnes, along with rock royalty, Jimmy Barnes, Ella Hooper and Tim Rogers guide the two bands through their rehearsals ahead of a sold-out iconic music festival creating a performance of a lifetime all in seven weeks.
rage Ausmusic Month Specials
Saturdays at 10.30am to midday and 11.30pm to 5am and Sundays 5am to 6am throughout November. Stream more episodes on ABC iview.
Join Missy Higgins, Icehouse and more Aussie music icons as they line up their favourite music videos on rage. ABC Entertains will also be digging into the archives to bring you their most coveted and sought-after rage Vault Guest Programs each Friday night during November.
J Awards
Nominees were announced this morning via triple j, winners announced via triple j and Double J socials on Thursday 14 November.
Celebrating 20 years, this year’s J Awards will once again crown Australia’s best in five categories: Australian Album of the Year, Unearthed Artist of the Year, Double J Australian Artist of the Year, Australian Music Video of the Year and Australian Live Act of the Year, with winners voted for by those in the know – our on-air teams.
triple j’s Like A Version
Every Friday at around 8am throughout November on triple j or the ABC listen app.
The idea of Like A Version is pretty simple. We invite a musician or band into our studios, tell them to bring their instruments along, stick microphones in front of them and ask them to play one of their own compositions as well as a song they love by someone else. And this Ausmusic month we’ll be featuring Aussie acts to support our local talent.
Live At The Wireless
Sundays at 6pm throughout November on triple j, Mondays at 6pm on Double J or the ABC listen app.
triple j and Double J have recorded live music around the country to bring live acts direct to your speakers, direct from festivals to stadiums, sweaty pubs to some of Australia’s finest venues. This Ausmusic Month features all Aussie acts including Lime Cordiale, Ball Park Music, Sarah Blasko and more.
Ausmusic T-shirt Day
All day, Thursday 28 November.
The annual event celebrates Aussie music and raises critical funds for the Australian music industry via Support Act. Hit the merch site of your favourite Aussie band or artist, grab a tee and join triple j in showing your support.
Artists In Residence
Sundays from 3pm on Double J or on the ABC listen app.
Throughout Ausmusic Month Jebediah and Bob Evans frontman Kevin Mitchell will host Aussie artists Josh Pyke, The Superjesus’ Sarah McCleod, The Grates’ Patience Hodgson and Jebediah bandmate Vanessa Thornton as they chat about Australian music and spin a few tracks.
Celebrating the icon that is Countdown, Countdown In Your Town are local events headed to Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth and Newcastle throughout Ausmusic Month. Alongside fan favourite ABC Radio presenters, the live events will feature bands playing iconic hits from the Countdown era.
Across the country ABC Radio will be broadcasting Countdown’s Top 20 Greatest Moments on Saturday 9 November at 6pm AEDT. Hosted by ABC Radio Sydney’s James Valentine, the broadcast will celebrate some of the most iconic show moments from Whispering Jack and the Material Girl to ABBA, Iggy Pop and more.
And each Monday we’ll also be celebrating Ausmusic Mondays where the playlist will consist of 100% Australian music.
ABC Classic will be broadcasting a stellar range of Australian made music across November including a celebration of composers and artists Margaret Sutherland, Nat Bartsch, soprano and composer Deborah Cheetham Fraillon AO (Yorta Yorta/Yuin), including a special Drive Live broadcast for her 60th birthday, and The Goldner Quartet.
The Classic Choir Hour will showcase live performances from choirs around the country, while The Musical Show and The Game Show are all featuring Aussie content.
Expect to hear new albums from Jenna Cave, Lucy Clifford, Eucalyptus Treeo, Oscar Bruten and a new offering of The Best of ABC Jazz ’24 each Friday. We’ll also be celebrating Australian artists in residence every Tuesday, The Dinner Set with Monica Tapaga for your Friday night dinners, Jazztrack Live with Mal Stanely on Saturdays revisiting epic Australian jazz performances and recent Aussie releases during Upbeat with James Valentine.
It’s an all Aussie artist playlist to kick off Ausmusic Month on Friday 1 November and we’ll be continuing the theme all month long by only adding Australian artists to our playlist for the month of November.
ABC Ausmusic Month Collections
Still can’t get enough of the outstanding Aussie artists? ABC iview has everything at your fingertips including Going Country, Knowing The Score, Making Muriel and Nick Cave & Warren Ellis at Hanging Rock.
Digital
Across Double J, triple j, triple j Unearthed, ABC Classic and ABC Jazz, you’ll discover a bevy of Ausmusic Month content. From new music videos to interviews with all your favourite Australian artists plus deep dives into the history of Indigenous hip hop and who should be featured on your high rotation list, we’ve got you sorted for both long and short reads.
National broadcaster ABC spent record $1.137 billion in taxpayer funds as audience numbers plummet
The ABC received record injections of more than $1.1 billion in taxpayer funds in the last year – while its total audience dropped by 670,000 people a week on average – as the national broadcaster revealed its outgoing managing director is on a $1.1 million salary.
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s 2024 annual report, released on Tuesday, revealed it spent a record $1.137 billion in taxpayer funds this last financial year, an increase of almost $30 million it got from the federal government in 2022-23 and the most amount of cash ever handed over to the national broadcaster.
However, the cash splash won’t stop there, with $1.196 billion in government funds being budgeted for the next financial year.
The report revealed the national broadcaster returned just $100 million in self-made revenue in the last year – less than 10 per cent of what it charges the taxpayer to operate.
“The ABC operated within its total sources of funds and revenue from Government for the 2023–24 financial year, recording a minor technical operating deficit of $2.2 million,” the financial statements read.
News Corp agenda pushing - don’t need to read everyone
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Exactly - also I’d like to ask how they calculate that total audience number - if it’s linear TV audience, then it’s a bit hard to compare with the new ratings system - also, I’d say there is a high chance that more people are catching up on iView these days.