Last night the public broadcaster's Media Watch program called out ACMA (Australian Communications and Media Authority), saying that the ABC wouldn't have been let off the hook if it were to call a government minister a “wanker” like Kiis radio host Kyle Sandilands did.
The Monday night program was referring to the 14 August ruling by the body which ruled despite Sandilands calling Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce “a cock” and a “wanker”, Sandilands did nothing wrong.
Joyce drew Sandilands' ire over his comments about Johnny Depp and the fact he brought his dogs illegally into the country.
The issue got Sandilands fired up with the radio host saying: “Sorry Barnaby, you might not be able to hear what I’m saying properly, but what I said was, I’m not saying that the guy didn’t do the wrong thing. I’m not saying that he shouldn’t be fined or the dogs shouldn’t be quarantined. What I’m saying is, you sound like an absolute clown telling the guy to bugger off back to Hollywood or we’ll kill his dogs. You sound like an idiot. You should have reworded your statement. Sound like a classy guy. You’re a Government Minister, not some idiot off the street mouthing off to a news camera. Have some decency.”
It then deteriorated with Sandilands hanging up on the Minister while saying: “What a loser. What a joke ...What an idiot, the guy’s a fool ... Just a… just a gerbil of a thing.”
According to ACMA the reason why the station was able to get away with it was because: “The phrases used by Mr Sandilands, while discourteous in terms of the conventions for political address, were not so threatening, abusive, vulgar or contemptuous that they were not suitable for broadcast.”
Media Watch however said it's not the watch dog's fault, rather those at Kiis FM “who refused to apologise to the minister and let this foul-mouthed bully get away with it.”
“Because if that is acceptable behaviour, it’s because they have allowed it to become so.”
Watch the segment by clicking the image below.
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