Statement on Cessation of ABC / New Daily Deal

I am very pleased that the ABC has decided to terminate their arrangement with the super fund lobbyists, the “New Daily”. I have been probing this secret deal at Senate Estimates and through Senate processes throughout the past six months. The ABC’s deal with the New Daily was a reputational nightmare for the ABC and should never have been signed. I made this abundantly clear in a statement I released on 7 December 2020. The New Daily is a propaganda arm of Big Super, financed by workers’ Superannuation Guarantee contributions. This sort of largesse will be illegal if our proposed Your Future Your Super bill passes the Senate. Why anyone at the ABC thought it was a good idea to get into business with superannuation lobbyists is beyond reason. Credit where credit is due and I thank the ABC for ending this dreadful deal. Had it not been terminated by the ABC, I would have introduced a private Senators’ bill to amend the ABC Act to prohibit the ABC doing business with lobbyists. I thank the Senate for passing a motion in November 2020 which has helped bring about this outcome. Super funds have already wasted $12 million in workers’ retirement savings on the New Daily boondoggle. The end of the deal with the ABC means there will be more money for retirement and less wasted on propaganda. I thank the ABC and the Senate. MEDIA | John Mangos | 0401 392 624