Criticism of plan to drop locally produced ABC tv programs

7/8/94

The Federal Government should direct the ABC Board to continue with Western Australia's locally produced 7 pm ABC television news and the 7.30 Report.

Services Minister Graham Kierath said he was outraged at the proposal which would rob an estimated quarter of a million Perth people and hundreds of thousands in regional WA of these two local programs.

"Here again, WA is the loser because of the decision-making process by the 'wise men and women' in the East," Mr Kierath said.

"We have already lost the ABC's short wave radio transmission for remote WA and the Federal Government has refused to provide the 700,000 people in regional WA with SBS television.

"They are treating this State with utter contempt and I predict that the viewers here will be so upset by this latest slap in the face, that it will be the final nail in the coffin for Keating's Government.

"It is simply not good enough for the WA leader of the Opposition to say he will write a letter to the Prime Minister.

"Keating is here this coming week and Ian Taylor should front the Prime Minister and demand he take immediate action.

"I would also strongly urge ABC supporters to take the opportunity to protest to the Prime Minister at any public appearances he might make during his visit to WA.

"Unfortunately the Federal Government treats this State with contempt - I endeavoured to get a meeting with Federal Ethnic Affairs Minister Nick Bolkus to discuss the SBS issue during his visit this coming week, but he could not work it into his schedule."

Mr Kierath said the ABC's suggestion that there would be a locally produced news and current affairs program at 6.30 pm showed a complete lack of knowledge of the history of such programs in WA.

None of them had survived.

The ABC proposal could not work because it was up against the already firmly established current affairs shows on commercial television.

The latest rating figures for the ABC showed there was a clear demand for a 7 pm local news and the 7.30 Report.

"The ABC's 7 pm news in WA is one of the star performers with ratings in the low 20s - this last week, it outperformed one of the commercial network news services, which was unheard of a few years ago," Mr Kierath said.

"The 7.30 Report is also rating in the upper teens.

"On Thursday night, ABC News rated 22 and 24, which in rough terms equates to about 230,000 viewers while on the same evening the 7.30 Report had about 200,000 viewers.

"Every Western Australian pays eight cents a day for the ABC, but we do not get a say - we just get treated with contempt by the power brokers in the East."

Media contact:   Brian Coulter 481 2133