No wonder Labor mate Barry Cassidy is smiling, his new gig earns him between $11K and $22.5K to hold one meeting.

Yesterday we brought you the news that Albanese's administration has appointed old mate Barry Cassidy as the Chair of the Board of Old Parliament House.

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No wonder he's smirking.

The Museum of Australian Democracy, Old Parliament House was established by this act

https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2016L00739

It provides for the appointment of a Board and Chair - with a stipulation that the Board must meet at least twice a year.

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The Old Parliament House website is here.

https://www.moadoph.gov.au

It includes annual reports - here's the record of the Boards meetings for FY 21/22 - 4 meetings for the year.

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One year - 4 meetings.  

The annual report also tells us that the Chair and Directors pay is set by the Remuneration Tribunal.

Here's its latest determination:

https://www.remtribunal.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-03/PTO%202022%20-%20Compilation%20No.%207.pdf

That tells us that the Chair earns $45,570 plus $578 travel expenses for each day.

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So for the 2 meetings required by law, that's about $22.5K per meeting - let's be kind and say they'll hold 4 meetings - about $11K per meeting.

Nice work if your mates can get it for you.


The Diversity Dividend. Tragic. Absolutely tragic. Catastrophic. Piers Morgan is right.

I may know how Richard Dawkins might be feeling.

I know my encounter with the consequences of speaking out about Islam was life-changing.

The diversity-dividend has been a  tragedy for a previously enlightened West.

A catastrophic tragedy.


Labor rewards stooge - ex-ABC Barrie Cassidy back on the teat

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Labor eventually rewards its media friends. 
 
It’s taken a while but Barrie Cassidy has finally got his retirement kickback to supplement his already swollen ABC pension.
 
Today, good-old-mate Tony Burke made Cassidy the chairman of the Old Parliament House Board with a generous taxpayer allowance. 
 
Cassidy used to pretend to be an impartial ABC journalist - but he was always on the Labor team and even did a stint working as Bob Hawke’s press secretary. 
 

The Albanese Labor Government is today announcing the appointment of Mr Barrie Cassidy as the new Chair of the Board of Old Parliament House, and the reappointment of Ms Gai Brodtmann as a member of the Board, each for three years.

Minister for the Arts, Tony Burke, said the appointment of Mr Cassidy as Chair would bring significant experience and knowledge to Old Parliament House.

“There are very few people who worked in both Old Parliament House and New Parliament House, who served in the press galleries of both buildings and the ministerial wings of both buildings.

“Mr Cassidy played an historic role in Old Parliament House. I’m pleased that he’ll now be chairing the board that manages that building, to tell its stories for generations to come.”

Ms Brodtmann’s re‑appointment will enable her to continue to make a important contribution.

“Gai Brodtmann, as a former parliamentarian, was a champion of the collecting institutions, including Old Parliament House – the Museum of Australian Democracy,” Minister Burke said.

“Ms Brodtmann was appointed by the previous government to serve on the board and I’m very pleased that she has agreed to continue in this capacity.”

Mr Cassidy is a retired political journalist and current affairs television presenter. He began his career working at regional newspapers before joining the Melbourne Herald as a court reporter, and in 1979, became a federal political correspondent for radio and television. He was also previously the President of the Federal Parliamentary Press Gallery.

In 1986, Mr Cassidy became the personal press secretary, and later, senior political advisor to Prime Minister the Hon Bob Hawke MP. In 1991, he worked as a correspondent for The Australian newspaper in Washington and subsequently worked for the ABC as a European correspondent based in Brussels. When Mr Cassidy returned to Australia he played a pivotal role in the creation of the ABC’s Insiders television program, which he hosted from 2001 to 2019. He has also hosted ABC News Breakfast, Offsiders and One Plus One.

Ms Brodtmann is a former parliamentarian who served as the Federal Member for Canberra from 2010 to 2019. Prior to entering parliament, Ms Brodtmann was in private enterprise and before that spent 10 years in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Attorney General’s Department. Ms Brodtmann sits on a number of corporate boards and is the Co‑Founder and Chair of ‘Fearless Women Incorporated’. This will be Ms Brodtmann’s second term on the Board.


Stan Grant's bigoted views on skin colour

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After spending a lifetime complaining about people being judged by their skin colour, Stan Grant is judging people by their skin colour. 

He's complained that the ABC failed to racially load-up its election night panel. 

“In 2023, how is it at all acceptable that an election night coverage features an entire white panel? This is not a criticism of my colleagues who are all well qualified, but it is a criticism of the ABC that for decades has nurtured and promoted white staff at the exclusion of others,” Grant wrote.

“There is no excuse for what I saw on air last night. None. I have worked at organisations around the world and nowhere would what we presented last night be tolerated.”

His whiny letter has been leaked to left-wing pamphlet Crikey who've published it without reference to Stan's hypocrisy. 

Stan Grant slams ABC management for ‘insulting’, ‘entire white’ NSW election coverage

 

In a letter to management, Grant said he was 'fed up' with being reassured that the ABC was on a 'journey' toward equity when 'the dial has barely moved' in 40 years.

By JOHN BUCKLEY

MAR 27, 2023

 

Q+A host Stan Grant has written to ABC management to condemn the lack of diversity in the broadcaster’s NSW election coverage, which he said reduced journalists from diverse backgrounds to “cameo” roles.

In a letter Crikey understands was sent to management on Sunday, Grant said he was “fed up” with being reassured that the public broadcaster was on a “journey” towards equity and diversity, only to assess its progress nearly 40 years after joining to see “the dial has barely moved”.

“In 2023, how is it at all acceptable that an election night coverage features an entire white panel? This is not a criticism of my colleagues who are all well qualified, but it is a criticism of the ABC that for decades has nurtured and promoted white staff at the exclusion of others,” Grant wrote.

“There is no excuse for what I saw on air last night. None. I have worked at organisations around the world and nowhere would what we presented last night be tolerated.”

The ABC’s NSW election coverage on Saturday night was led by a panel anchored by hosts Sarah Ferguson and David Speers, who were joined by (now former) NSW treasurer Matt Kean, NSW Labor frontbencher Penny Sharpe, and the ABC’s state political reporter, Ashleigh Raper.

Jeremy Fernandez, who featured in the ABC’s promotional material in the lead-up to its coverage, was reduced to a “cameo” role on the night, Grant said. Fernandez was tasked with explaining developments on the ABC’s “big board”, a colour-coded graphic that highlights seats in play and how they’re projected to fall.

“The fact that any journalists of colour in our coverage were ‘off Broadway’ in support roles, reporting from the suburbs, only adds to the insult,” Grant said.

He told Crikey the “ABC must do better”, and that as a senior First Nations journalist it is his responsibility to “keep the organisation honest”: “I don’t do it for myself — I have had my career — but I don’t want to wait another decade for things to change.”

The presenter said this wasn’t the first time he had made the complaint. The same was true of the ABC’s 2019 federal election coverage, he wrote, as it was again with “last year’s federal election — again all white main panel”.

“Bridget Brennan, on the ‘second tier’ panel, again was the exception to the rule,” he wrote. “I was a last-minute inclusion and against my better judgment participated only to be ignored and leave early.”

The letter was also sent to the ABC’s Bonner Committee, Crikey understands, the peak body for issues relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff and content, “with a specific responsibility for monitoring progress against the ABC’s reconciliation action plan”.

ABC director Justin Stevens said the organisation respects Grant enormously, takes on board any criticism and welcomes constructive discussion.

“Stan says the ABC is not yet where we want to be. I agree that we have a way to go,” Stevens told Crikey.

“We respect Stan enormously. For decades he has been one of the highest-profile First Nations journalists in this country and with that he has carried the burden of fighting for the advancement of his First Nations and culturally diverse colleagues. That responsibility is on all of us to carry at the ABC and not him alone.”

Stevens stood by the ABC’s NSW election coverage on Saturday, which he said “as Stan outlined in his email” was “editorially strong and well presented”. He pointed to the “many positive things” happening across ABC News “with our Indigenous journalists” and coverage of Indigenous affairs, such as the appointment of Suzanne Dredge as head of Indigenous news, the first time ABC News has had an Indigenous leader on its executive team.

“On Friday night Suzanne Dredge, Bridget Brennan and Brooke Fryer won the Gold Quill for their investigation into missing First Nations women for Four Corners — the first female Indigenous reporting team at Four Corners,” Stevens said.

Stevens also highlighted Grant’s appointment as full-time presenter of Q+A as a sign of progression, along with the appointment of Dan Bourchier to the newly created role of Voice correspondent.

“Our coverage of the Voice wording last Thursday was led by two Indigenous reporters, Dana Morse and Dan Bourchier,” Stevens said.

According to the ABC’s most recent diversity and inclusion report, more than 16% of the broadcaster’s 4500-strong workforce comes from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Of those, 12.9% hold executive roles, and 12.7% are in “content maker” roles. The ABC’s Indigenous representation is at 3.2%, slightly down on the previous reporting period.

“The three content teams — News, Analysis & Investigations (News), Entertainment & Specialist (E&S) and Regional & Local (R&L) — continue to track diversity in their content,” the report said. “News has extended its talent diversity tracking from women to also include Indigenous, CALD and people with disability.”

 

ABC management should grow some balls and tell him to pull his head in. 

The sad thing about all of this is Stan is better than this bullshit.

He's one of the rare ABC luvvies who's actually been a success in the real world. 

Tragic to see this is what he's become.