In my view, the ABC no longer provides news and current affairs content that is relevant to mainstream Australians. This means that mainstream Australian taxpayers are funding the Woke, biased content that constantly streams from the so-called public broadcaster. Yet the ABC’s news and current affairs service only represents a narrow, left-wing audience. It is time the people who actually watch or listen to the ABC paid for it. It is time for the ABC’s news and current affairs service to be privatised.

The ABC Ombudsman found that 96 per cent of complaints about the ABC’s coverage of King Charles III’s Coronation were ‘matters of editorial judgment’ and therefore ‘not for the Ombudsman’s consideration’. The small number of complaints that were investigated related to ‘unbalanced, biased, disrespectful, inappropriate, offensive, anti-monarchist and poorly timed’ content. ABC Ombudsman Fiona Cameron did ‘not find a breach of the impartiality standards’.

The rigorous system of checks and balances in our Constitutional Monarchy usually works well. The ABC Ombudsman’s findings are no doubt consistent with the relevant processes. And we should be mindful of the importance of due process.

When discussing the difference between Australia’s system and systems elsewhere, a Middle Eastern friend of mine suggested that at least in Australia, corruption is eventually revealed and rooted out. In his country, everyone knew who was corrupt but there was nothing you could do about it. He admired our system for its longevity and overall integrity, and it was a reality check for me when things in Australia don’t seem quite right.

It is clear that ABC programs like Q+A are biased, conservative-free zones. This bias even flows over into entertainment services like the Triple J Hottest 100 that used to be held on Australia Day. It is now passé. What’s the point of listening to the hottest music (according to Australians) if it is presented in an anti-Australian fashion?

Q+A is increasingly irrelevant with its left-leaning audience and left-leaning panellists who gang up on a token right-winger. The only episode I have enjoyed recently was when Andrew Neil gave the lefties ‘what for’ about their echo chamber of agreement.

It was rather revealing when Twitter added the tagline ‘government-funded media’ to the ABC’s Twitter handle. The ABC was quick to respond that it was ‘independent’ and ‘free from political and commercial interests’. It’s funny we think that other state-owned media are partisan, but the ABC is somehow above all that. Until recently, that is.

As an army officer, I swore an oath to…

…well and truly serve Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, Her Heirs and Successors according to law as a member of the Australian Army until my service is lawfully terminated and that I will resist Her enemies and in all matters relating to my service I will faithfully discharge my duty according to law.

That may not mean much to the ABC, but it still means the world to me, as it did to three other generations of my family who served in the Australian Army. I found the ABC’s coverage of the Coronation to be abhorrent.

Thankfully I subscribe to Sky News Australia, so I was able to watch coverage that was respectful and interesting. When Dame Joanna Lumley entered Westminster Abbey, my partner said to me, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if they interviewed her!’ And they did! You get what you pay for, and Sky News Australia is worth every cent.

Not so the national broadcaster that many taxpayers contribute to but have no interest in watching. Which brings me to my point. Why should taxpayers have to pay for content they find offensive, biased, and Woke? Well, they shouldn’t.

Privatisation of government services that can be provided more efficiently by the private sector has been a major long-run reform that has helped to reduce taxes and allow governments to be more focused on policy rather than providing services. There are many critics of privatisation, but a cursory glance at Victoria’s recent budget tells the story of what happens when government thinks it can do everything better than everyone else.

Somebody always has to pay.

The ABC has failed in its role and has become so focused on its own agenda that it is time it paid for itself. If Australians are interested in that type of content, then subscribers should be free to make contributions.

But forcing all Australians to pay for content that is counter to the oath sworn by Australian Defence Force personnel is abhorrent.

Government-funded media in a Constitutional Monarchy, the most recent and successful form of liberal democracy, is an anachronism.

It’s time for the ABC’s news and current affairs service to be privatised so it can make it or break it with its chosen narrow audience. It certainly isn’t representing mainstream Australians and they shouldn’t have to pay for it any longer.