Since our last submission we have published a research report relevant to this inquiry, No politics at Aunty’s table: Depoliticising the governance of the ABC. This report addresses the issue of political interference in the governance structures of the ABC, including its charter. A copy has been uploaded with this submission. The Australia Institute advocates

A new report from The Australia Institute will be launched today at the ABC Friends National Campaign forum – ‘What do Australians expect from their ABC?’  – Download full report below –  The report ‘No Politics at Aunty’s Table’ analyses the governance of the ABC, how some aspects have become political battlefields and ways to

Public Broadcaster reforms could deliver an ad-free SBS and digital expansion for the ABC. As outgoing ABC chief Mark Scott raised the idea of an ABC-SBS merger, a new report by The Australia Institute explores the risks and benefits of reforms to public broadcasting. “Public support for the ABC and SBS is as strong as

Regional media is viewed as an essential democratic institution by regional Australians, with   95 per cent accessing some type of local content each week. Regional media is an important source of news, weather, and emergency information. It also contributes to a sense of community and identity within a region. However, regional media is in decline

More than half of Australians do not trust commercial media. The Australia Institute’s new survey of more than 1400 people asked respondents to rate their trust in the ABC and commercial media on a scale from ‘do not trust’ to ‘do trust’. The results show 53 per cent of Australians do not trust commercial media,

This paper explains why the current patchwork of media and advertising regulation is failing to prevent the premature sexualisation of Australian children. A number of improvements are proposed based on a review of current regulatory arrangements for the areas most responsible for the sexualisation of children: girls’ magazines, television and outdoor advertising, and television programs.

This report gives the first comprehensive overview of the ways in which Australian children are being sexualised by advertising and marketing from a very young age. It also describes in detail the risks children face as a result of this corporate paedophilia.

There is a belief that Alan Jones can make or break elections. However on any given day Jones has 187,000 listeners, compared to 552,000 viewers of Nine National News, and nearly 1 million buyers of the Sydney newspapers. Those who do listen are disproportionately older, believe that the Coalition is doing a good job, and

While there is a claim that new media is making Australia more pluralistic, there is little evidence to support this. 95% of people get there information on domestic news and current affairs from traditional media, compared to 3% from the internet. The most popular internet news sites are owned by the major traditional media outlets.