One of Mark Scott’s greatest achievements, should he retire as CEO tomorrow, would have to be the extent to which he has turned the ABC into a cultural fiefdom for dispensing government funds to the private sector in return for so-called Australian content. In response to a question in a Senate committee the other day Scott portrayed this transition as the –
“way we have migrated a lot of our drama and documentary programs: keeping editorial control but working with the independent production sector.”
What Scott is admitting to is the process of replacing creative productive capacity within the ABC with commercial co-productions using other Australian production houses. Justifying co-productions on the basis that it opens up other financing options is one thing but purposely undermining the in-house capacity of the ABC to produce drama and documentary content is something else, witness the forced disbanding of the Natural History unit of the ABC at a time when public concern was growing over climate change and other environmental problems.
The heart of the matter is the notion of editorial control. Scott and Kim Dalton have spearheaded a dramatic increase in ABC TV’s patronage of external producers, often citing cost effectiveness as a primary incentive. This ignores the substantial investment in infrastructure and personnel that Australians through their taxes have made in the ABC in previous years. Costs continue to rise for the ABC yet actual ABC produced content is declining as more material is outsourced. It is disingenuous of Scott to portray this as financially expedient and deceptive to use the term editorial control without acknowledging the power relationship that exists between senior ABC management and independent producers who are often totally dependent on the ABC for their survival. It is that exercise of financial power over production that motivates a redirection of production from internal ABC units (who have have failed to reflect the views of senior management) to a more vulnerable independent production sector.
But not content with destroying the in-house capacity of the ABC TV to produce anything more than news, current affair and talking head studio material, Mark Scott now wishes to farm out iconic ABC programs to overseas producers. Bananas in Pyjamas (in 3D) is moving off-shore. Notwithstanding the fact that TV has barely managed to make the transition to digital and that HD take-up is still lagging, what is the motivation for a 3D animated version of Bananas? And if the motivation exists, which is dubious, why not exploit the homegrown talents of an industry that despite limitations has still produced oscar award winning animations.
In recent years there has been a distinct trend away from locally produced animation on TV. These figure from Screen Australia show a marked decline in Australian made animations on TV. Yet we continue to train aspiring young Australians in the field of animation. Surely employing Australians to tell Australian stories is implicit in the ABC charter which says the ABC should be
“broadcasting programs that contribute to a sense of national identity and inform and entertain, and reflect the cultural diversity of, the Australian community”
Presumably the only Australian content the ABC is interested in is the free user supplied stuff that will power Mark Scott’s Town Square vision. Paying Australians, let alone paying ABC staff to make content seems like such 20th century idea.
