Senator SESELJA (Australian Capital Territory—Assistant Minister for Treasury and Finance) (15:30): What we just heard from Senator O'Neill was based on not one shred of evidence. In fact, the opposite is true. Let's be clear: the very central claim that Senator O'Neill just put, for those who may be listening, did not happen. That is what the secretary of the department found after conducting the review. That report found that there was no request or suggestion by the former Prime Minister or any government minister to terminate the employment of a journalist or ABC staff member. Those are the facts. Senator O'Neill can try to claim that she knows what was said in these meetings that she wasn't in—and that the report found was not said—or that she has some special insight, but there is not one shred of evidence to back it up. Like most Australians, there are many aspects of the ABC that I enjoy and quite love. Senator Keneally: Tell us. Senator SESELJA: I will tell you, Senator Keneally, thank you for your interjection: the cricket in the summer. Who doesn't think that Jim Maxwell as the voice of cricket in Australia is fantastic? I used to like Kerry O'Keeffe as part of the ABC Grandstand cricket commentary. I thought he added a certain pizzazz and humour to the commentary. Senator Chisholm: We could have kept him if you hadn't cut— Senator SESELJA: We have the interjection from the good senator from Queensland, who says that we could have kept Kerry O'Keeffe if there had been more money coming to the ABC. Unlike the Labor Party and the Greens, we don't believe that the ABC is beyond criticism, but I do enjoy the cricket and rugby league commentary. I think that Andrew Moore and Matty Elliot do a great job. Their back-and-forth on the rugby league coverage is fantastic. I'll often listen to them doing their thing. Locally, we have had some wonderful representatives of the ABC doing local ABC Radio. They continue. We've had in the past Chris Uhlmann here locally before he moved to the national part of the ABC. Good people like Ross Solly and Adam Shirley are currently here in the Canberra market. They do a good job of talking about issues important to their local community. Who in Canberra doesn't love Willow on a Saturday morning doing gardening? Who doesn't love Tim Gavel, the voice of sport in Canberra on the ABC? Senator Chisholm: He quit. Senator SESELJA: I don't think we can be blamed for Tim Gavel quitting. He had been there for 30 years and worked seven days a week. I think it was time that Tim Gavel had a rest and a wonderful time with his family, having served the community of Canberra, and sport more broadly in Australia, working for the ABC. I enjoy watching Leigh Sales going toe to toe with politicians and others. Who doesn't like Macca on a Sunday morning? Senator Keneally interjecting— Senator SESELJA: Senator Kristina Keneally just put her hand up and indicated that she does not like Macca on a Sunday morning. That is outrageous, but I'm not going to suggest that because you don't like Macca, there is something wrong with your having an opinion about the ABC. Do you know what we don't support? We don't support journalists at the ABC getting their facts wrong. We don't support them when they get their facts wrong, like when you have a journalist who goes out there and talks about company tax cuts, as Emma Alberici did, and makes several clear errors of fact— Senator Keneally: Not material! Senator SESELJA: not material—like confusing revenue with profit. Now, I know that the ALP tends to find those sorts of concepts a bit confusing, but there is a difference between the amount of revenue that a company gets and the amount of profit that a company gets. But it is not something that we see as quality journalism. So, whilst I can enjoy ABCGrandstand in the summer, the commentary when it comes to the rugby league, and the amazing performance of so many of our local ABC journalists, there is no doubt that, when those journalists get it wrong, they're not immune from criticism. When you're getting a billion dollars of taxpayers' money every year, we believe it should be criticised. But I go back to the central claim made by Senator O'Neill, who thinks the ABC should somehow be beyond criticism. There was no request or suggestion from the former Prime Minister or any government minister to terminate the employment of a journalist or an ABC staff member, and nothing the ALP has put forward can contradict— (Time expired)