The opposition has lodged a formal complaint with the ABC over Tony Armstrong’s one-off satirical special, Always Was Tonight, which targeted colonialism and racism against Indigenous Australians. Shadow communications minister Melissa McIntosh sent a letter to ABC managing director Hugh Marks demanding an investigation into the program, which aired on 21 January.
McIntosh’s complaint alleges the show may have breached the ABC’s charter and editorial responsibilities, arguing the broadcaster has a duty to promote social cohesion and avoid divisive content. The letter references the recent Bondi terrorist attack, stating that “now more than ever we cannot tolerate offensive content which stokes further division.” However, the ABC charter does not explicitly require the broadcaster to promote social cohesion.
The complaint focuses on the show’s closing segment, where children sing a song about Indigenous children being locked up, set to the tune of I Still Call Australia Home. The segment includes scenes inside a prison complex, with one child wearing a spithood. McIntosh described the use of child actors in such depictions as “grotesque” and a breach of the ABC’s Code of Practice.
The Greens have defended the program, with senator Sarah Hanson-Young dubbing McIntosh the “Liberal party fun police.” Civil Liberties Australia also criticised the complaint, urging the Liberals to leave comedy to professionals. An ABC spokesperson stated the program sought to examine Indigenous Australians’ lived experiences through satire, adding that the safety of child actors was treated with “utmost seriousness.”
