ABC abolishes dedicated arts team

28.06.23

Significant concern has been raised across the creative industries after the announcement that the ABC will undergo a restructure involving 120 redundancies - including managing editor of the arts and digital editor of the arts - and the axing of their dedicated arts unit. As part of the restructure, it has been reported that the screen arts team will move into a new Arts, Music and Events department for the screen, and the ABC arts journalists will be absorbed into the Digital and Innovation team.

A number of peak bodies across the arts have raised the alarm about the damaging impact this move may make upon already declining arts and culture coverage in Australia. 

ASA CEO Olivia Lanchester says, "The ASA is deeply concerned about any cuts to arts coverage - which is already extremely limited as it is - by our national broadcaster. For writers the impact is multi-faceted: fewer opportunities for journalistic work, no dedicated Arts editor to whom they can pitch articles, and diminished exposure of Australian books. In addition, as books fuel many stage and screen adaptations, cuts to the coverage of the performing arts also hurt writers.”

Further concerns have been raised about whether this move contravenes the ABC’s legislated charter responsibility, with journalist Ben Eltham tweeting, “The ABC's decision today to abolish its arts team arguably breaches the broadcaster's Charter. One of the ABC's legislated functions is to ‘encourage and promote the musical, dramatic and other performing arts in Australia.’ Very serious Qs need to be asked.”

The ABC made a statement indicating that the changes will in no way diminish the ABC’s ability to meet its Charter responsibilities to arts coverage. 

While we acknowledge that literature is covered through various programs on Radio National - The Bookshelf, The Book Show, Conversations with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski and Big Weekend of Books to name a few - it is essential that ABC News continues to report on books, authors, literary prizes and writers festivals, and provide in depth commentary on the literary sector.  

Lanchester says, “We have a government revamping AusCo into the new Creative Australia and I believe we are entering a time of reinvigorated creativity. Our concern is that reallocation of the remaining arts journalists into the Digital and Innovation team will dilute their focus on the arts. The ABC plays an important role in cultivating a thriving local industry, and, particularly as readers shop in a globalised book market, we want Australian writers and Australian books to find an audience via our national broadcaster. Without a dedicated editor championing arts coverage, it’s far easier for the arts to be deprioritised or coverage to be reduced to reporting on headline events only such as the Archibald Prize or Booker Prize.”

“At a time when the Government is seeking to underscore the vital contribution creators make to the fabric of our nation and culture, this decision is disconcerting."