ABC Advisory Council

The ABC Advisory Council was established in 1983 under the provisions of Section 11 of the ABC Act to provide advice to the Board on matters relating to the Corporation’s broadcasting programs.The ABC Board appoints the 12 members of the Council for a period of three years. Applications to join the Council are invited through promotions on ABC Radio, Television and Online and advertisements in the press in September and October each year.

The ABC Board will appoint a member of the Council to be the Chairman. The functions of the Council Chairman are to:

meet with the Chairman of the ABC Board and the Managing Director prior to each meeting to discuss the Advisory Council’s proposed agenda and any feedback from previous advice
chair Advisory Council meetings
actively manage the discussion of issues during meetings, including overseeing and guiding decisions made by the Council and managing the flow of the agenda
consult with members of the Advisory Council to determine and deliver the Council’s annual workplan, and to monitor progress against the plan
liaise with ABC support staff to establish the agenda for each meeting and approve the draft minutes before they are circulated.

If the Council Chairman is unable to attend any Council meeting, a written report from the Chairman should be sent to the Deputy Chairman.

Individual activities

In addition to attending meetings, Council members are expected to undertake a range of individual activities. These include:

Viewing, listening and accessing ABC programs and services in order to understand and appreciate all aspects of output
Reading and considering reports and papers provided by the ABC.

Community Consultation

Seeking community input on matters relating to ABC programming is an important part of a Council member’s role. The Council will be given specific questions or subject matters for consideration, and are expected to canvass community views and provide a written report to the Council.

There are no requirements about the manner in which a Council member should undertake consultation within their respective communities (provided that it is lawful and consistent with these guidelines). Suggestions for consultation include:

One-on-one interviews
Questionnaires
Online surveys (for instance, using tools such as Survey Monkey) – subject to approval from ABC Secretariat
Informal meetings
Structured community events.

The ABC can provide advice to Council members about the consultation process, including in relation to any legal matters that may arise.

The outcomes of a Council member’s community consultation on a particular subject must be submitted to the Council Chairman in a written report within the requested timeframe.

Community events and public meetings

From time to time, the ABC will hold local community receptions or other events. Council members are encouraged to attend those events and play a role as representatives of the ABC. Invitations will be sent by the ABC Secretariat.

Council members are also encouraged to consider hosting public events, for instance with local community groups. The purpose of those events may be to bring together community members to focus on a particular issue (for instance, mental health during Mental Health Week), or to discuss matters that are the subject of consideration by the Council. Any Council member who wishes to host a public event must obtain prior approval from the Council Chairman. The ABC Secretariat can provide advice and appropriate support to coordinate approved events.

The outcomes of a community event or public meeting must be reported to the Council in a Community Consultation Report, prepared either by the Council member hosting the event, or by the Council itself with the assistance of the Administrative Assistant.

Council members are required to engage with their communities providing feedback to Council meetings. The expected workload is difficult to determine as often what one member devotes in terms of time to community consultation may differ to that of other members. In addition to the expectation that members view, listen, access and review ABC programs there will be, on frequent occasions a request from the ABC Board for members to provide discussion papers on a particular topic, e.g. iview. This will involve a member contributing to sub groups within the Council with an appointed leader. To provide an example of one Council member’s workload they estimate an investment of between 6 to 8 days a year, but in 5 to 30 minute portions.

Council members are expected to come to meetings well-prepared, having submitted all Reports by the required deadlines; reviewed all reading material; and provided all necessary travel and accommodation information.

Members should arrive at meetings on time and return from breaks punctually. The ABC encourages Council members to monitor their participation in meetings to ensure that the discussion remains on topic; the purpose of each contribution is clear; the speaking time is shared; and the opinions of others is respected.

Inability to attend Council meetings

If a Council member is unable to attend a meeting they must notify the Council Chairman and the Administrative Assistant to the Council as early as possible. If a Council Member misses more than two meetings in a year they may be asked to resign from the Council.

Council members are appointed by the Board. The Board may determine how the Advisory Council performs its functions, the procedure to be followed at meetings, the selection of the Advisory Council members and any questions arising from the Advisory Council meetings.

The Managing Director will notify the Chairman in writing of any determination by the Board in relation to the Advisory Council. The Advisory Council reports its advice to the Board and particulars of this advice are noted in the Annual Report. The Board is required to have regard to the advice of the Council. The Board can request the Council to seek further community opinion on specific issues and to provide input on matters relating to ABC programming.

Public comment on ABC related matters is limited to the Chairman, and any request by a Council Member from the media for information or comment should be referred to the Media Manager, ABC Corporate Communications via the Administrative Assistant to the Council.

Members of the Executive will attend meetings at the request of the Council. The Council reports its advice to the Executive. The Executive can inform the Council, by way of briefings of current and future initiatives of the organization and can request the Council to offer its opinion, or seek further community opinion, on specific issues relating to programming.

The ABC Board appoints the 12 members of the Council for up to four years (being two years plus an option to be appointed for a further two years. Applications to join the Council are invited through promotions on ABC Radio, Television and online and advertisements in the national press in September each year, or otherwise as required.

To ensure continuity on the Council, members are appointed for staggered terms. This means that less than half of the positions become vacant each year.

The Council is assisted by an Administrative Assistant and a Management Representative, appointed by the ABC Director of Corporate Affairs.

About the ABC

ABC Advisory Council