Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi has taken aim at the lack of diversity on the ABC’s board in a letter, seen by Crikey, to Communications Minister Michelle Rowland.
On August 15, Faruqi wrote to Rowland and called the “lack of diversity on the ABC board … unacceptable”.
“The ABC board is completely and embarrassingly bereft of diversity,” Faruqi wrote.
“It has no doubt contributed to the poor treatment of high profile First Nations journalist Stan Grant and journalists of colour like Antoinette Lattouf.
“It also likely contributes to a failure to recognise and respond to concerns from the public and ABC staff that the ABC’s coverage of the genocide in Gaza has been pro-Israel.”
Rowland’s office confirmed to Crikey it had received the letter on August 15 and had not yet replied.
Faruqi grilled ABC managing director David Anderson at Senate estimates in late May over diversity on the board, with Anderson confirming, to his knowledge, that the board had no First Nations peoples on it, no people of colour, no members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and no people living with disability.
Anderson admitted that the board wasn’t representative of the Australian community “but the board appointments are made by government”.
In a response to a question on notice as to whether the government would commit to ensuring the ABC board was diverse, also asked in May, Rowland said that the minister’s recommendations to the governor-general in respect of ABC board appointments were made with “due regard to gender, diversity and geographic balance of the board, in the interests of the ABC reflecting the cultural diversity of the Australian community,” and were informed by a shortlist given by the nominations panel at the ABC.
Should ABC leadership better reflect the Australian community? Let us know your thoughts by writing to letters@crikey.com.au. Please include your full name to be considered for publication. We reserve the right to edit for length and clarity.
