Gina Rinehart ABC sketch referred to Ombudsman after depicting violence against mining magnate
A major update has emerged after a controversial segment aired on the ABC depicted violence against mining magnate Gina Rinehart.
A controversial segment on the ABC that depicted violence against billionaire Gina Rinehart has been referred to the Ombudsman by the broadcaster.
Communications Minister Anika Wells finally conceded on Wednesday that it was unacceptable.
“My personal view is it’s unacceptable. Like any Australian, there’s stuff I see on TV that I don’t agree with,” she said.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.“As the Minister for Communications, I respect the editorial independence of the ABC, but I understand they have now referred it to the Ombudsman. I think that was the right thing to do.”
The four-minute film broadcast was part of the ABC’s Race Around The World series.
The film ended with a graphic description of violence directed towards Ms Rinehart.
Voiceover to the short film said: “When the revolution comes, will you hide under the bed or will you know exactly how to shove a stick right up Gina Rinehart’s butthole, stirring it round, mixing her guts up nice and smooth, to make one big sausage roll to make something out of nothing.”
An ABC spokesperson said the film was intended to be satirical in tone.
But the mining magnate’s company Hancock Prospecting called on the ABC to apologise and remove the segment.
The ABC initially released a statement defending the segment as “editorially justifiable” but referred the matter to the Ombudsman after backlash.
The ABC Ombudsman is an internal office that reports directly to the ABC board.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority has not announced any action over the broadcast.
The move to refer the sketch came after former ABC boss Maurice called for the Australian Communications and Media Authority to formally investigate the ABC for over the joke from Race Around The World contestant Kate McGuinness.
“I would have thought ACMA have to do something about this because this is, without any question, counter to what we are expecting in respectable discourse from a properly regulated broadcaster,” Mr Newman told The Nightly.
“The original clip or sketch which I saw, goes out under the heading of ‘satiricial’ — under any decent measurement, disgusting, and it was actually inciting violence against this woman.”
