I used to think that the only way to solve the problem of the massive ABC bias was to sell it off and expose it to market forces but in a 3am, cold sweat, what if, careful what you wish for moment, where the cure is worse than the disease, I’m now thinking perhaps not.
What if a far left (almost the worlds first trillionaire) bought it. Someone like Amazon’s and Washington Post’s Jeff Bezos. You name the left wing cause and he’s right there. He, like George Soros sees himself as a major change… agent and at least as far as a digital disrupter, goes and reinventing the wheel of commerce and the High Street, he’s been right on point and proved himself to be a master.
This is all hyperthetical of course but if a future government we’re to sell it off for some quick cash and the arguments are compelling, as with the governments previous ownership of Qantas, Telstra and the Commonwealth Bank for example, given the plethora of available alternatives in the private media sector, what’s the government doing in the media business when it’s no longer necessary.
It’s an easy argument to make.
With an owner with an idealogical bent, Australia would lose total control. At least with it in public ownership we still have the ability, given the political will and determination, to bring it under control and force it to abide by its charter for the benefit of mainstream Australia.