Three Labor ministers due to attend a summit hosted by the Australian Financial Review on Tuesday have pulled out because they did not want to speak at the conference while Nine journalists were on strike.
The CAF Government Services Summit was cancelled at the last minute on Monday afternoon by Nine, which had planned to hold the conference amid Five day strike Written by Nine Entertainment journalists.
The Australian Guardian understands that the Minister for Public Services, Bill ShortenFinance Minister Katie Gallagher and new Employment and Workplace Relations Minister Murray Watt were uneasy about crossing the picket line.
Asked to confirm this, Shorten replied: “The AFR has cancelled the conference.”
A Gallagher spokesperson also said the AFR had cancelled the conference.
Conferences like this have been a huge source of revenue for Nine, said Michelle Ray, acting director of media at the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance.
“Nine Publishing makes hundreds of thousands of dollars each year from prestigious events that trade on the major newspapers’ reputation for bold, independent, quality journalism,” Ray said. “Tickets for these events cost more than $1,000 per person and have become a cash cow for Nine.
“The thought of continuing to hold the summit during the strike once again shows the company’s lack of insight into the real concerns that journalists are taking action on.”
Delegates were informed less than 24 hours before the event began on Tuesday morning that it had been postponed.
“We regret to inform you that due to circumstances beyond our control, we have had to postpone the Australian Government Services Summit, which was scheduled to take place on Tuesday 30 July, at the Canberra Hyatt Hotel,” a notice on The site said:
A Nine Channel spokesman said the reason for the cancellation of the programme was the ongoing journalists’ strike.
“Despite our determination to deliver the Government Services Conference to our valued delegates and readers, the decision has been taken to postpone the event due to the circumstances arising from the strike,” a Guardian Australia spokesperson said. “A new date will be announced in due course.”
Nine magazine’s managing director of publishing, Tori Maguire, was due to introduce Gallagher before the finance minister gave the keynote address.
Journalists from Agence France-Presse — including its political editor Philippe Currie and senior correspondent Aaron Patrick — were scheduled to speak at several sessions.
New South Wales labor Party The conference in Sydney over the weekend showed support for the striking Nine workers with loud cheers when NSW Arts Minister John Graham raised the issue.
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“Finally, I want to pay a special tribute to the striking journalists at Nine, who have raised serious issues not just about pay but also about the rise of artificial intelligence in journalism,” Graham said. “Can you join me in acknowledging the seriousness of the issues they have raised?” There was a loud cheer in the room.
But former Australian Broadcasting Corporation chief executive Ita Butros was not supportive of the strike, calling it an “unwise decision”.
“This is a major investment for the Nine Network and the Olympic Games,” said Buttrose. He told ABC Radio:
“If you, as a company, have made a big investment in something like the Olympics, you expect everyone to toe the line, frankly.”
Hundreds of journalists working for Nine Entertainment’s publishing division voted overwhelmingly to strike over pay last week, hampering the company’s initial coverage of the Paris Olympics.
Nine is the official broadcaster of the 2024 Games, paying $100 million for broadcast rights for this year alone.
Exempt staff, including editors and foreign correspondents, produced newspapers over the weekend, filling them with wire copies or pieces submitted in advance.
About twenty journalists who travelled to Paris to cover the Olympics were forced to sit out the first five days of the Games, leaving the Europe correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, Rob Harris, to cover many of the sporting events.
Harris was exempted, along with The Age sports editor Chloe Salto, who applied from Paris.
Negotiations between the company and employees are scheduled to continue on Wednesday.
