Liberal MP's Formal Complaint Targets ABC's Indigenous Satire Programme
Liberal Party MP Melissa McIntosh has submitted a formal complaint to ABC managing director Hugh Marks regarding Tony Armstrong's one-off satirical special Always Was Tonight. The programme, which aired on 21 January, employed humour and social commentary to examine colonialism and racism against Indigenous Australians.
Contentious Segment Featuring Children Draws Particular Criticism
The complaint centres specifically on the show's closing segment, which featured primary-school-age children singing a modified version of Peter Allen's I Still Call Australia Home titled I Shouldn't Call This Place Home. The performance took place within a prison complex setting, with one child wearing a spithood.
Armstrong introduced this segment by highlighting Australia's age of criminal responsibility, noting that Indigenous children are twenty-one times more likely to be incarcerated than their non-Indigenous counterparts. He stated that on any given night, approximately thirty-five Indigenous children under thirteen years old would be in detention facilities across the country.
McIntosh's Allegations Regarding ABC Charter Compliance
In her letter to the ABC, McIntosh argued that the broadcaster may have violated its content, broadcasting, and editorial responsibilities. She asserted that the ABC has a duty to protect Australia's multiculturalism and promote social cohesion rather than broadcast content that could potentially divide the nation.
The MP specifically claimed that encouraging child actors to depict such scenes was "grotesque" and represented a clear contravention of the ABC's Code of Practice. She further emphasised that the ABC should editorially justify any content likely to cause offence and ensure appropriate content warnings are provided.
Political Reactions and Defence of Satirical Content
The Greens communications spokesperson, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, swiftly defended Armstrong's programme, describing it as the ABC operating at its cutting-edge best. She characterised McIntosh's complaint as representative of the "Liberal party fun police" and suggested that humour serves an important function in addressing serious social issues.
Civil Liberties Australia secretary Bill Rowlings added that comedy's role includes occasionally "poking the noses" of public figures and institutions, suggesting politicians should refrain from attacking Australia's most trusted media organisation.
ABC's Response and Production Safeguards
An ABC spokesperson defended Always Was Tonight as a programme that sought to examine Indigenous Australians' lived experiences through satire, social observation, and comedy. The broadcaster described the special as "creative, insightful and sometimes challenging," with the intention of highlighting Indigenous perspectives to contribute to shared understanding rather than division.
The ABC emphasised that comprehensive safeguards were implemented during production, including the presence of an Indigenous psychologist and registration with the NSW Office of the Children's Guardian. The broadcaster stated that children and their guardians were fully informed, supported, and protected throughout the production process.
Broader Context and Indigenous Representation
Opposition Indigenous affairs spokesperson Kerrynne Liddle told media she chose not to watch the programme, asserting that issues affecting Indigenous Australians should be treated with utmost seriousness and that nothing about these matters is humorous.
This controversy emerges against a backdrop of ongoing national conversations about Indigenous representation in media, the role of public broadcasters in addressing social issues, and the boundaries of satirical content in Australian broadcasting.
