Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion: ABC Alumni Submission February 2026

The submission asks the Commissioner, amongst other recommendations, not to accept or reinforce the proposal made by Special Envoy Ms Jillian Segal, that she should be given a special role in shaping the public broadcasters’ Editorial Policies or in monitoring their implementation.

Here is a link to the full submission

ABC Alumni submission regarding the News Bargaining Incentive

18 December 2025

This submission is made on behalf of the ABC Alumni organisation. ABC Alumni is an association of former Australian Broadcasting Corporation workers who believe passionately in the importance of a well-funded and independent national broadcaster as a vital part of Australian democracy. While not formally connected to the ABC, we have worked since formation in 2018 to advocate for the importance of public service media, especially the ABC, as a key component of a diverse Australian media system.

Introduction

ABC Alumni strongly endorses the News Media and Digital Platforms Mandatory Bargaining Code (The Code) objectives to support the sustainability of public interest journalism in Australia. The Code has achieved some success in addressing “major disruptions from the digitalisation of the economy, and particularly the digitalisation of the advertising industry” (Commonwealth of Australia, 2025, p. 4), initially identified by the ACCC in 2018.

Further regulatory action is required to maintain a diverse media system that can ensure the policy objectives noted above. Australia’s public service media (ABC and SBS) are key components of that media system and have a long history of contribution to public interest journalism. The professional media workers who have joined ABC Alumni have experienced the impact of technological change in recent decades. We recognise the importance of the News Bargaining Incentive (the Incentive) to ensure “the adoption of commercial arrangements as envisioned under the code” (Commonwealth of Australia, 2025, p. 5).

Comment on specific matters in the consultation paper

ABC Alumni notes that the ABC has previously entered into an agreement with a digital platform under the News Media Bargaining Code.  While noting the consultation paper does not require formal ACMA registration as a news business for a commercial deal between a news organisation and a digital platform, the ABC Alumni supports the current criteria for registration of eligible news businesses with which digital platforms can enter into agreements. The criteria and registration include the public service media organisations.

The options described in the discussion paper have not included specific incentives for digital platforms to negotiate commercial deals with organisations such as the ABC, despite ABC content being ‘published’ by the platform. This is especially appropriate given the ABC’s important role in providing news and information to rural and regional communities.

The Incentive should have a requirement relating to commercial deals with public service media organisations that gives added benefit for digital platforms entering into such agreements. This approach could be similar to the increased deduction rate example noted for collective agreements for small news businesses (p. 14).

The Consultation Paper also asks (Q. 15) whether there should be a cap on expenditure with any single news business corporate group in the interest of achieving greater media diversity. The ABC Alumni supports such a cap through a proportion of eligible expenditure model.

In relation to Question 17 regarding the reporting of information relevant to the Incentive, ABC Alumni believes it is essential that the highest levels of transparency are employed to ensure that the policy objectives of the Code and Incentive are not only met but are discernible to the community. While some financial information relating to specific entities may not be available, it is important that there be regular reporting of the number and value of agreements made under the Incentive.

Question 18 asks whether other appropriate expenditure by platforms should be eligible. ABC Alumni believes this should be permitted, subject to appropriate guidelines and transparency of operation.

Conclusion

The News Bargaining Incentive is an important policy mechanism with the potential to ensure the maintenance of a strong and diverse news media for Australia. The ABC plays a vital role in that media system - providing fearless, independent news content across multiple platforms supporting the health of Australia's democracy. An effective News Bargaining Incentive can help contribute to that role.

The ABC Alumni organisation is available to provide further comments about our submission.

Dr. Michael Ward

Chair

ABC Alumni

News Bargaining Initiative:  Statutory Payment Scheme to distribute any revenue raised by the Incentive.  Submission by ABC Alumni Ltd. 18 May 2026

ABC Alumni has made a number of submissions in response to requests by the Federal Government for consultation on the News Bargaining Initiative.  The NBI proposes a 2.2% levy on large streaming and social media services which can be advantageously offset by entering into commercial deals with news media organisations whose material is used on their services. Here are links to the two previous submissions.

ABC Alumni submission regarding the News Bargaining Incentive  18 December 2025

This submission responds to consultation on the proposed structure for the distribution of funds collected by the Federal Government from the News Bargaining Initiative from those streaming and social media services who have not entered into any or sufficient commercial deals to fully offset the proposed 2.2% levy.

In this submission, ABC Alumni argues that the payment scheme for distribution of revenue should vigorously support small news publishers and those supporting regional news and news provided to marginal communities. The weightings applied to FTE journalists in this area should be at a minimum 30%.

The Alumni also submits that news publishers who have successfully negotiated commercial deals with social media and streaming services should be restricted in their eligibility to access revenue collected by the federal government under the News Media Incentive provisions.

Here is a link to this submission

News Bargaining Initiative Draft Legislation: ABC Alumni Submission 18 May 2026

ABC Alumni has made a number of submissions in response to requests by the Federal Government for consultation on the News Bargaining Initiative.  The NBI proposes a 2.2% levy on large streaming and social media services which can be advantageously offset by entering into commercial deals with news media organisations whose material is used on their services. Here are links 

ABC Alumni submission regarding the News Bargaining Incentive  18 December 2025

News Bargaining Initiative:  Statutory Payment Scheme to distribute any revenue raised by the Incentive.  Submission by ABC Alumni Ltd 18 May 2026

This current submission responds to consultation on the draft legislation for the News Bargaining Initiative

In this submission, ABC Alumni argues, on the one hand, that the proposed draft legislation is unlikely to be effective in achieving the stated objective of promoting greater diversity in smaller and regional news publishers. On the other hand, it submits that enhanced incentives offered for social media and search companies to negotiate commercial agreements with the ABC would provide an effective mechanism for achieving that goal.

The Alumni also submits that news publishers who have successfully negotiated commercial deals with social media and streaming services should be restricted in their eligibility to access revenue collected by the federal government under the News Media Incentive provisions.

Here is a link to the full submission

Most people agree that the way the BBC Panorama program “Trump: A Second Chance?” edited excerpts from Donald Trump’s speech to MAGA supporters before the riot on Capitol Hill on 6 January 2021 was unethical.  Even deceptive.

No one seems to have noticed that the man who exposed the inappropriate edit did something very similar in his leaked memorandum to the BBC Board.

But the usual Australian critics have been happy to jump on the British bandwagon, accusing the ABC of deceptive conduct and calling for inquiries into its impartiality.

Last week Alumni director Jonathan Holmes wrote in the Nine newspapers that the BBC’s critics had a point. But he’s now wondering whether the scandal that led to the resignation of the BBC’s two most senior executives was, after all, a political hatchet job.

On 20 August 2025 the ABC published its new guidelines on public comment by ABC workers. They were commissioned by the ABC’s new Managing Director, Hugh Marks, following the highly damaging Antoinette Lattouf affair. Their principal author, ABC Editorial Director Gavin Fang, discussed them with members of the Board of ABC Alumni prior to publication.

Alumni director Jonathan Holmes believes that, contrary to a lot of third-party commentary, the new guidelines offer more protection to ABC workers than existed before.

On 10 July, Australia’s Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism, Jillian Segal AO, appointed last year by the Albanese government, published her Plan to Combat Antisemitism.  It has already come under attack from many quarters, especially for urging the nationwide adoption of a contested definition of antisemitism, and for its call for universities, researchers, cultural institutions, and public broadcasters to have their funding withdrawn if they encourage, or do not do enough to combat, antisemitism.

Among the more prominent targets of the Plan are the public broadcasters, which it proposes should be monitored by the Special Envoy who would “assist” them to avoid “distorted narratives” and to follow their own editorial policies.

Alumni director Jonathan Holmes argues that, if implemented, the Plan would simply exacerbate the pressure the ABC is under to avoid reporting truths that are unwelcome to the more vocal supporters of Israel.

ABC Alumni director and former Media Watch presenter Jonathan Holmes has been reading the federal court judgment in the case of Antoinette Lattouf v the ABC, and reflecting on the lessons it has to teach.

27 June 2025

The Australian’s ferocious attacks on Laura Tingle following her off-the-cuff remarks at the Sydney Writers’ Festival have ignited a wider debate about the ABC and its impartiality, as the paper no doubt hoped.

ABC Alumni subscribers will have differing views about the wisdom of Laura’s remarks, and the robustness of the ABC’s response – as indeed do the directors of ABC Alumni. But your Board is happy to endorse these reflections in praise of Laura’s work by Alan Sunderland, who as a former Editorial Director of the ABC has more experience than any other Alumni director of making nuanced judgments on matters such as this.

On 23 April 2024, former ABC National Arts Reporter Anne Maria Nicholson spoke to the Central Coast branch of ABC Friends NSW in Gosford.  This is an edited version of her speech.