Last week, the ACT’s Director of Public Prosecutions announced that there would be no retrial of Bruce Lehrmann, because it would pose a “significant and unacceptable risk to the life of the complainant”, Brittany Higgins.

It’s a classic example of the dilemma that confronts our courts in the trial of alleged sexual offenders. The accused is entitled to the presumption of innocence, until proved guilty beyond reasonable doubt. He or she is also entitled to decline to give evidence – the “right to silence”. However, to plant a reasonable doubt in the minds of a jury, defence counsel will inevitably attempt to discredit the evidence of the complainant, who is usually the only other witness to the alleged offence. The result is too often a gruelling cross-examination that can retraumatise already vulnerable people, whether or not they avail themselves of the right to remain anonymous.

That is the issue with which Louise Milligan grapples in her 2020 book, Witness. It was the issue about which she was invited to speak to the Women Lawyers Association of the ACT at their gala dinner on 21 October this year. It is a matter of obvious public interest. But Milligan has now found herself under attack, not only in The Australian and on Sky News, but in the Commonwealth parliament, for things she did not say and does not believe.

This is News Corporation’s version of “cancel culture”, argues Jonathan Holmes – a phenomenon it has so often condemned.

Can the ABC improve its complaints handling system? And what are the main challenges facing the new Ombudsman, Fiona Cameron, as she settles into her new job at the public broadcaster? ABC Alumni director Alan Sunderland – who has more experience than most in this area – gives his insights into what lies ahead. 

Ann Chesterman warns that without adequate ABC funding, this extraordinary service to Australian music is at risk.

With global video streamers capturing more and more Australian eyeballs from the wi fi modems linked to their smart TVs, the ABC has emerged as perhaps a last chance saloon for original local drama, documentary and entertainment programs.

By Quentin Dempster 9 December 2021

A new report from Deloitte Access Economics shows that the ABC’s commitment to local drama, documentary and entertainment boosts the Australian economy by hundreds of millions of dollars and has far-reaching benefits for the independent film industry and beyond, supporting thousands of jobs across many sectors and locations throughout the country. Quentin Dempster has been analysing the report.

The ABC has just released its 2020-2021 annual report. The public broadcaster’s achievements during this period have been many, from outstanding emergency reporting on bushfires, floods and the COVID-19 pandemic to innovative programming that has been lauded both nationally and internationally. But, as Quentin Dempster reports, funding uncertainty continues to stymie the ABC’s future.  

The ABC has historically been flexible with the technologies it uses to transmit its content to consumers. Today’s technology landscape is changing faster than ever and the ABC must continue to straddle the old and the new if it is to remain available to contemporary as well as traditional audiences. The Alumni’s tech expert Peter Marks surveys the ABC’s tech history and the current state of broadcasting technology..