Corrections & Clarifications

News Online: on May 28 in the headline of a story about Immigration Minister Andrew Giles cancelling the visa of Emmanuel Saki who allegedly murdered another man after the visa was reinstated, the victim Bosco Minyurano was incorrectly identified as female. That is incorrect, he is male.

News Channel. On Monday May 20, we reported the Prime Minister had said the defence force was on standby to fly to New Caledonia to help restore order in the country. That was incorrect. The defence force was ready to fly to New Caledonia to help get Australians out of the territory, pending commercial flights resuming. We have removed this report from YouTube, Facebook and iView.

News Online: On May 15 a story on the budget incorrectly stated that upcoming tax cuts would be applied either through taxpayers paying a reduced debt to the ATO or receiving an increased refund at the end of this financial year. This is not the case. The tax relief will be applied through all taxpayers receiving more of their take-home pay each payday i.e. the ATO taking less tax from July 1 this year.   

News Online: On May 14 a story on the impact of the budget on pensioners incorrectly stated that pensions are typically increased four times a year. Pensions are indexed twice a year — in March and September.

730: In the Budget in Reply interview with Opposition Leader Peter Dutton on Thursday, 16 May, Sarah Ferguson said “only four per cent of international students are in the rental market”, attributing the information to the Real Estate Institute. A report by the Student Accommodation Council, “Myth busting international students’ role in the rental crisis,” says international students make up only four per cent of Australia’s rental market. 

News Online: On May 16, a report on Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker selling his entire catalogue to Sony Music Publishing stated that the acquisition included past and future works. The article has been changed to correctly reflect that Sony Music Publishing acquired Parker’s back catalogue and the deal encompasses an extension of their 15-year partnership. Sony Music Publishing will represent, rather than retain ownership, over future works.

News Online: On April 16, a profile of Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel states that he had been ordained and later ex-communicated by the Assyrian Church of the East. The article has been changed to correctly reflect that he was ordained and later ex-communicated by the Ancient Church of The East, a separate Assyrian Orthodox denomination.

News Channel: On March 9, an on-air graphic stated that a quarter of recent fatalities in Gaza were children. This graphic should have referred to the West Bank. According to the Gazan Ministry of Health as cited by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, as of May 13, 2024, 32 per cent of fatalities in Gaza are children.

News: A story that went to air on ABC TV News on 7/5/24 regarding the Whyalla steelworks said “GFG Alliance has struck a deal with the unions” to change workers’ shifts. The ABC now understands this was not a deal struck with the unions, and rather a decision made by GFG Alliance.

News Online: An analysis of recent federal political developments published on 6 May stated the decision to release the asylum seeker, Majid Jamshidi Doukoshkan, charged with the assault of Ninette Simons was made by the Community Protection Board. This story has been updated to make clear that the board can only make recommendations, with a delegate of the minister responsible for signing off on decisions.

ABC Canberra: On 7 May, an online story about diabetes medication procedures in schools included three quotes from the mother of a child with diabetes, who stated that glucagon needed to be administered to treat diabetic ketoacidosis. The ABC could not independently verify this advice, so the quotes were removed.

News Channel: On April 13, the night of the tragic stabbing at Bondi Junction in Sydney ABC News channel inadvertently broadcast images of one of the victims - Jade Young - taken at the scene. We acknowledge those images were graphic and inappropriate. ABC News is deeply sorry about that. A decision had been made to either blur images like those, or not broadcast them at all. Unfortunately, in this instance that process failed and the videos were shown before they were blurred. It was an error of judgement for which we take full responsibility. The ABC apologises to Jade’s family and to anyone else who was distressed by the images.

News Channel: On April 27, incorrect footage was inadvertently used for the Kashi Vishwanath temple in our program India Votes 2024. We regret the error.

News: An episode of the podcast ‘Spies in the Outback’ stated that when the US base agreement was signed in 1966, Aboriginal Australians did not have the right to vote. They gained the right to vote in 1962, and it was made compulsory in 1984. The audio has been updated with this line removed.

News Channel:  In an introduction to an interview with the BCA’s Bran Black on April 12 a newsreader said that the business lobby wants limits placed on “coal manufacturing.” This was an error caused by misreading the word ‘local’ in the script as ‘coal’.  

ABC Radio WA: On 11 April 2024 a story mischaracterised remarks by a former teammate, Matt Flynn, of Port Adelaide's Jeremy Finlayson. The story said Flynn had described the ban as 'necessary but reactive'. The reference to 'reactive' was about Finlayson's comments, not the penalty.

ABC News QLD. The 7 pm bulletin on 5 April included an incorrect caption, referring to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, when US National Security spokesman John Kirby was on screen.

News: On ABC TV News on March 30, 2024 it was reported in reference to the death of Louis Gossett Jnr, that he was the first African American to win an Oscar.  That was not correct. In 1939, Hattie McDaniel was awarded the academy award for Best Supporting  Actress for her role in Gone with the Wind.

On 27 March 2023, the ABC broadcast a 7.30 interview with Victorian opposition leader John Pesutto. That interview referred to the organisers of the “Let Women Speak” event held in Melbourne earlier that month and included a social media post by “Posie Parker”. Some viewers may have understood the interview to suggest that Kellie-Jay Keen, who was not named in the interview, who organised the Melbourne “Let Women Speak” event, has associations with Neo-Nazis. The ABC understands Ms Keen denies any association with Neo-Nazis and the ABC does not endorse any imputation that may have been conveyed to that effect.  

RMIT ABC Fact Check: On 22 March the ABC published a story examining the factual basis of a comment made on Radio 2GB concerning the viability of renewable energy. The first version of this article was based on the inference that in Mr Smith's interview was only referring to electricity grids. After publication Mr Smith clarified that he was referring to full energy mix.  The article has been updated to reflect that and to add information on the full energy mixes of four countries whose grids are 100 per cent renewable. It has also added a statement from the CSIRO responding to Mr Smith’s assertions regarding that organisation. The article also previously incorrectly stated that Mr Smith had rejected renewable-led electricity generation; this has been amended and the ABC apologises to Mr Smith for the error. 

News: On 24 March in a story concerning people opting to self-fund health insurance, figures listed in a table for treatment funding of public patients in public hospitals were inaccurate. Based on this table, the story incorrectly stated that the number of public patients using public hospitals has steadily increased between 2017 and 2022. This has been changed to reflect that the numbers have held steady, and the table has been corrected.

News: On 5 March an online story was published regarding a Broome man who was charged after allegedly restrained three children with cable ties. The original article included paragraphs that referenced the rise of juvenile crime in WA, as well as information about a juvenile justice centre proposed in the area. ABC Kimberley have since agreed that the references implied the children were guilty of a crime and the lines have since been removed.

News Channel: On 7 March 2024, the News Channel interviewed the Chair of Commercial Radio and Audio Australia, Ciaran Davis, about the Copyright Legislation Amendment (Fair Pay for Radio Play) Bill 2023. The program should have mentioned that the ABC is impacted by the proposed Bill and has made submissions opposing it. The News Channel operates independently of corporate management and their coverage of the story was not affected by the ABC’s corporate interests.

News: On March 4 and March 5 ABC News Online published stories on Acting Justice Stephen Kaye’s review of the findings of an inquiry by the head former Queensland judge Walter Sofronoff KC in relation to the actions of former director of public prosecutor Shane Drumgold.  The stories were updated to remove a line stating that Acting Justice Stephen Kaye had not set aside the majority of the adverse findings relating to former director of public prosecutor Shane Drumgold. However, the judgement and court orders did not specifically state the impact of the ruling on the adverse findings against Mr Drumgold. Quotes from the director of the Centre for Public Integrity, Geoffrey Watson SC, were added to provide context for the practical implication of the ruling: ‘Mr Drumgold didn’t receive a fair hearing, [and] he was denied procedural fairness.. Those [adverse] findings no longer exist, as a matter of law”. The headline was also changed from: "ACT's former top prosecutor Shane Drumgold successfully challenges some findings of inquiry into Bruce Lehrmann prosecution".

On 25 July 2022 the ABC broadcast a Four Corners program titled “Psyched Up”. The program included footage of a cactus walk with Julian Palmer and participants, as well as an interview with Mr Palmer during the walk. A second interview occurred in the ABC studio, where Mr Palmer was questioned about a Facebook post he made in 2017, and allegations of “inappropriate sexual behaviour” reported to the ABC.  In the program Mr Palmer vehemently denied any wrongdoing. The ABC did not intend to suggest that the questions constituted anything other than inquiries into allegations and apologises if any viewers, including Mr Palmer, understood or inferred otherwise.