AHA writes to key politicians seeking reforms to ABC

17 February 2025

The Australian Hindu Association is making a detailed submission to key Australian politicians about the negative portrayal of Hindus and the Indian community by the ABC. The document seeks reform of the ABC. Here is an extract from AHA’s submission:

‘The position in which we are in

The effect of the ongoing negative portrayal of Hindus, Indians, their organisations and their  leaders by the public broadcaster is that negative views of us are being formed in the wider Australian community. We are already receiving reports of our children being bullied at school as a result of content being aired by ABC. 

Despite Australian Hindus and Indian-origin Australians numbering some 1 million and despite being one of the largest per-capita tax-payers in Australia, portrayal of us, our leaders and our organisations by the State-funded broadcaster is abysmal and our rights of redress are effectively non-existent. There is no representative of Hindus or Indian-origin Australians on the board of ABC or its Advisory Council. 

In summary:

  1. The ABC systematically presents information about Hindus, Hindu organisations and Hindu leaders in a negative light.
  2. It persistently fails to present the perspective of persons having objective or positive views about them.
  3. There is a litany of factual errors in the reporting of ABC about Hindus and India.
  4. It cannot be a coincidence that it is those who peddle anti-Hindu narratives that are appointed and promoted by the ABC.
  5. Viewers are often not permitted to comment on ABC posts; where they are, their comments are ignored.
  6. The ABC’s Internal Ombudsman is a paper tiger.
  7. The right of complaint to ACMA is ineffective.
  8. There is no current member of the ABC Board who is familiar with or receptive to our concerns.
  9. There is no current member of the ABC Advisory Council who is familiar with or receptive to our concerns.’