‘Racist’: ABC presenter doubles down after controversial comments

The ABC’s main governmental analogous insists Australia has an “issue with racism” aft it was revealed she had been “counselled” by the broadcaster’s quality manager implicit her comments astatine an lawsuit past weekend.

Laura Tingle made arguable comments astatine the Sydney Writers’ Festival erstwhile she was asked to remark connected Opposition Leader Peter Dutton’s argumentation astir migration and the economy, including housing.

“I did so marque the reflection connected Sunday that we are a racist country, successful the discourse of a treatment astir the governmental prospects ahead,” she said successful a lengthy connection connected Wednesday.

“I wasn’t saying each Australian is simply a racist. But we intelligibly person an contented with racism.”

She noted immoderate of Mr Dutton’s caller comments erstwhile helium said “it’s not conscionable housing”.

“People cognize that if you determination suburbs it’s hard to get your kids into schoolhouse oregon into childcare,” helium said.

“It’s hard to get into a GP due to the fact that the doctors person closed their books. It’s hard to get elective surgery.

“These factors person each contributed to capableness constraints due to the fact that of the deficiency of readying successful the migration program.”

He has besides said migrants were the origin of “congestion connected our roads”.

Ms Tingle said arsenic the alternate premier curate and with an predetermination approaching wrong a year, Mr Dutton’s comments deserved “rigorous scrutiny and examination”.

“Surveys, including by the ABC, person repeatedly recovered the bulk of Australians of non-European backgrounds reporting experiences of favoritism and racism successful their lives, sometimes starting arsenic aboriginal arsenic superior school,” she said.

“In my commentary astatine the ABC, and astatine the Sydney Writers’ Festival, I expressed my interest astatine the risks progressive successful Peter Dutton pressing the blistery fastener of lodging and linking it to migration for these reasons.

“Political leaders, by their comments, springiness licence to others to explicit opinions they whitethorn not different express.

“That does not marque them racist.

“But it has existent satellite implications for galore Australians.”

In his ain a statement, ABC quality manager Justin Stevens said Ms Tingle’s remarks astatine the festival “lacked the context, equilibrium and supporting accusation of her enactment for the ABC and would not person met the ABC’s editorial standards”.

“Although the remarks were conversational, and not made successful her enactment capacity, the ABC and its employees person unsocial obligations successful the Australian media,” helium said.

“Today, she has explained her remarks successful much item to guarantee determination is simply a factual grounds of the applicable discourse and detail.

“The ABC’s editorial standards service a captious role. Laura has been reminded of their exertion astatine outer events arsenic good arsenic successful her enactment and I person counselled her implicit the remarks.”