Fed: Flint has been a soft regulator: Democrats

AAP General News (Australia)
04-29-2004
Fed: Flint has been a soft regulator: Democrats

CANBERRA, April 29 AAP - David Flint had been a soft regulator during his reign as
head of the broadcast watchdog, which had suited the government, the Australian Democrats
said today.

Democrats communications spokesman John Cherry said it was critical to know if the
government was influenced in appointing Professor Flint as Australian Broadcasting Authority
(ABA) chairman.

Broadcaster John Laws has made sensational claims that rival radio identity Alan Jones
boasted at a dinner party about "instructing" Mr Howard to reappoint Prof Flint in exchange
for his support before the 2001 federal election.

Mr Howard and the prominent 2GB breakfast broadcaster have both strongly rejected the claims.

"I think it's essential that we get to the bottom of how this appointment was made
of David Flint as chair of the ABA because the government will be appointing a new chair
of the ABA over the next six months," Senator Cherry told ABC radio.

"We need to ensure that the process is completely free of any political interference,
whether it be this next chair or even having a look at the appointment of the last chair.

"The Democrats would prefer to see these appointments done on merit rather than on
political influence."

As for Mr Laws's claims, Senator Cherry said it was essential to get to the bottom
of the accusations.

"We have some very significant public figures here making particular claims and I think
they need to be tested one way or the other to work out who is telling the truth in all
of this," he said.

"At the end of the day what we do have is a chair of the ABA in David Flint who in
my view has been a fairly soft regulator and that's something which obviously appears
to have suited the government over the course of the last six or seven years."

AAP sm/apm/bwl

KEYWORD: FLINT CHERRY

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