Office of the Leader of the Opposition

PRESS STATEMENT BY BILL HAYDEN, M.P. x

ABC REFUSAL OF EQUAL TIME

This i s  a despicable decision.

Quite c l e a r l y  the Prime M inister has leaned on the ABC Commissioners  to produce such an e x tra o rd in a ry  re v e rsa l o f  previous p olicy.

Mr. Fraser is  running scared. . . .

He d o e s n 't  want to engage in open debate on what is  emerging as an

in c r e a s in g ly  embarrassing issu e  fo r his Government — A u stra lia n   p a r t i c i p a t i o n  in the Moscow Olympics .

I t  is  a h y p o c r itic a l a b su rd ity  to pretend t h a t  the Prime M i n i s t e r 's

address to the Nation l a s t  night did not impinge on Party p o l i t i c a l

debate. .

I t  reeked o f p o l i t i c s ;  i t  contained m aterial which i s  highly .

contentious and the s u b je c t o f c l e a r  d iff e r e n c e s  and p o l i t i c a l

dispute . between the major P a r t i e s .  .

I t  c a ll e d  f o r  se rio u s  a n a ly s is  and r e f u t a t i o n  o f some im portant

p o in ts . .

In s te a d , the Prime M inister has been given u n r e s t r i c t e d  and unimpeded  access to the ABC airwaves f o r  f i f t e e n  minutes o f  prime time.

This f a c i l i t y  has been denied to the National Opposition.

I want to make i t  p la in  to the ABC t h a t  i t  cannot muzzle the Labor

Party. .

I have approached every commercial s t a t i o n  in A u s t r a l i a  asking f o r   f a i r  play by the provision of equal time in an e q u iv a le n t time spot

to address t h e  nation on the s u b je c t m a tte r contained in the Prime

M in is t e r 's  a d d r e s s .. .

One o f  the major networks has already in d ic a te d  t h a t  i t  w ill broadcast

my address and provide me with the f a c i l i t i e s  to record i t .

1 am c o nfident t h a t  o th e r commercial s t a t i o n s  w ill make the same  response. .

I t  is  a m a tte r o f n a tio n a l shame t h a t  the ABC should not have the

i n t e g r i t y  and the re s p e c t fo r f a ir n e s s  t h a t  the commercial s t a t i o n s

are showing in t h i s  m atter.

I appeal to the ABC to  re c o n sid e r i t s  e x t r a o r d i n a r i l y  p a r tis a n

decision before i t  makes a national mockery of i t s e l f .

Parliament H ouse. Canberra, A.C.T 2 6 0 0  CANBERRA:

. . 14 February 1980

