PRESENTER Liz Jackson ended last night’s Media Watch with the “pulping of Peter Cundall”.
Said Jackson:
“What a relief now to get out into the peace and quiet of the garden, and hear from Australia’s favourite gardener, Peter Cundall.
Here he is on ABC TV, with Andrew Denton a couple of weeks ago:”
We’re living in a kind of a fool’s paradise. I mean I come from Tasmania, you can see, there, that forests are being destroyed, irrespective of what new little rules and regulations come out. Where I live, in the Tamar Valley, the most beautiful valley, they’re going to put in a giant pulp mill. A massive one with a 100-metre stack so that the poisonous fumes are supposed to not drift down the valley.
Enough Rope with Andrew Denton, 13 June 2005
The Australian picked up on Cundall’s comments and a couple of days later this appeared.
Garden guru digs in against pulp mill
“I believe that what we’ve got here is a massive mistake on a massive scale. Anyone investing in this project is going to be confronted with immense opposition.”
– Pg 4, The Australian 17 June 2005
Jackson detailed a follow-up interview with ABC Radio in Hobart, done by Drive Time presenter Trevor Jackson.
Cundall continued to be forthright about the pulp mill and was asked by Trevor Jackson:
You’re not concerned that by expressing your own views on such a contentious issue that you’ll anger ABC management?
Peter Cundall – Well no, what I say is basically my own viewpoint on things and all I do is tell the truth as I see it.
– ABC Radio, Interview not broadcast. Recorded 17 June 2005
But, said Liz Jackson, “ABC management was concerned, so concerned the interview never went to air.”
Tasmanian local radio manager, Cath Hurley, defended the decision on the basis that “His closeness to the ABC made it inappropriate for him to express a personal view on the network on such a contentious issue.”
But, said Liz Jackson: “Peter Cundall doesn’t agree.”
If I was news and current affairs fair enough, but I’m a bloody gardener.
– Peter Cundall to Media Watch
Cath Hurley told Media Watch that it wasn’t Peter Cundall’s opposition to the mill that was a problem – it was the fact that he expressed a point of view at all.
The issue is what the public thinks about an ABC presenter expressing his views on a highly contentious issue…it wasn’t the content of the interview, it was the perception it would create.
– Cath Hurley statement to Media Watch
Liz Jackson concluded: “Gunns – the logging company behind the mill – is vigorous in defending its reputation and its interests. Last year the company took legal action against 20 anti-logging activists and groups it claims have vilified and damaged its operations.
And Peter Cundall believes the ABC has been intimidated.
There’s an atmosphere of fear in Tasmania and a fear of being sued if you speak out about this pulp mill…
– Peter Cundall to Media Watch
Peter Cundall says that no-one from the ABC has told him why his radio interview was dropped.
I want to know and I want it in writing…I’ll never shut up. What can they do to an old bugger who’s nearly 80? They can only sack me.
– Peter Cundall to Media Watch
The full transcript: Peter Cundall pulped
HAGNOTE: Peter Cundall’s experience continues the fine tradition of Tasmanian media subtly acquiecesing to the powerful in Tasmania, and cosying up for warm and fuzzy interviews with the political leadership; sometimes called Party Political Broadcasts. There was no better example of indefensible acquiesence than the Bacon Affair: Controlling the Pack
Dave Groves
June 27, 2005 at 23:41
Peter is right.
Tasmanians live in fear of the Gunns juggernaut.
Wherever I go people tell me that they would like to do this, or should do that, but they fear losing their jobs or businesses, or they fear losing their homes, so they suffer in silence.
What people must realise is that if this mill goes in, their homes won’t be worth a cracker anyway. Who wants to live in the shadow of a 100 or is it 200, or is it a 650 hectare pulp mill?
The truth is that the proposed mill Peter speaks of is a dirty mill.
The propaganda machine has been shown to be tainted and right now the whole sorry process is crumbling around them.
Why can’t they get it right? Why try and sneak things here and there?
What has happened to truth and community?
Has the corporate world gone mad?
This proposed pulp mill debacle has, in recent weeks, seen by all to be just that.
If I wind up on the bottom of the Tamar or you see me begging in the street after writing this letter, you will know why it has happened.
Rickpilkington
June 28, 2005 at 18:02
Methinks the ABC may have a problem on thier hands with Mr.Cundall.
This space will be an interesting one to watch. What has Peter Cundall to lose by continuing to speak his mind.
When will his behaviour draw public comment from the government? A tricky one for them too. A Tasmanian icon much loved by a large cross-section of the community, senior citizen, war veteran, national celebrity, Tamar local with cred and the right to protest on his own turf. Last time it was the schoolteacher and mother.
Will Peter Cundall become Gunns’ worst nightmare?
Bob Manton
June 29, 2005 at 04:04
I am in full support of Peter Cundall after all we are all supposed to have the benefit of free speech, or is that only allowed for the gunnerment?
I can see the day coming when we will start having ASIO raids on the houses of “dissenters†here in Tasmania for having the temerity to speak out against the leader.
Justa Bloke
June 29, 2005 at 04:34
It appears that Cath Hurley has been somewhat negligent in her duty to provide worthwhile coontent in local radio.
I, as a listener, want to hear people such as Peter Cundall – and other ABC personalities who may have a wide range of views on a wide range of subjects – interviewed on local radio.
Cath Hurley must not only apologise and allow the airing of the Trevor Jackson/Peter Cundall interview, but must give an undertaking that such censorship will never happen again.
Prince of Darkness
June 29, 2005 at 08:31
It is very common for companies to have limitations on employees expressing public views using their employment affiliation as part of their identification, particularly when it does not relate to their employment. So, from that point of view, I would not say that ABC is in bed with Gunns.
However, given that Peter Cundall is such a well known personality, it would be almost impossible for him to say anything without people relating it to ABC. In such cases, I think that the right of the individual to ‘have a life’ so to speak should prevail. In this case I would say that ABC should just accept that Mr Cundall has other things to say and broadcast the interview.
Bob said “I can see the day coming when we will start having ASIO raids on the houses of “dissenters†here in Tasmania for having the temerity to speak out against the leader.”
That is an extremely exaggerated, kind of paranoid comment. Let us keep things in perspective.
nudger
June 29, 2005 at 10:23
An ABC person of my acquaintance passed this comment re this matter.
Cath Hurley has proven for the one millionth time that “ABC management” is an oxymoron.
Not bad, I thought.
She also told me the story of the fish that ended up in the Senate inquiry.
My ABC friend says the money wasted on and by management would be more wisely spent on researchers, producers, and good investigative journalism.
aeroguy
July 2, 2005 at 15:59
By censoring Peter , the ABC may have inadvertantly ramped up the level of public interest / debate on this issue. Peter has got nothing to lose by airing his views — and he may just do this.
Unfortunately the acrimony will claim a distinguished career as a mature age presenter, but it may put this project of state significance to bed.
Rachel goldlust
November 14, 2005 at 19:27
And the tradition lives on. After hearing Peter talk at tonight’s public forum on Gunns lawsuit and the convenient ‘editing’ of Peter’s interview with Andrew Denton on Enough Rope, it seems that the ABC wants to limit the power of one 80 year old gardener from speaking to not one but a series of generations about an issue which speak to us all.
Peter represents an important facet of our community and his actions are truley respected as, as far as i know, he hasn’t been dropped yet. Support the treedomfighters and get onto the media for their part in protecting Gunns and what it’s doing to public protest.
It affects us all.
Clea
November 19, 2009 at 22:21
They couldn’t have picked a more upstanding person to arrest. The amount of time Peter has put into supporting the Australian public to better their environment – he is a hero! It’s a low act to arrest someone who speaks up for the environment, who puts that before the politics of today. Keep it up Peter, we’re all behind you. At least now they’ve chosen the voice to oppose them – and what better one than Peter’s!!