Whose ABC?

19 September 2006

Emeritus Professor Ken Inglis

As controversy continues to swirl around Australia’s national broadcaster, a long-awaited history of its last 20 years provides much-needed insight and background to the current debates.

Distinguished historian Ken Inglis first chronicled the ABC in his 1983 book This is the ABC: The Australian Broadcasting Commission 1932–1983. In his new volume Whose ABC?, he covers intricate details of the reigns of David Hill and Jonathan Shier and the stormy politics of the broadcaster’s relations with the government over the last two decades.

Broad Topics: Arts and Social Sciences

Sub-topics: Creative Arts, History & Archeology, Society & Culture

Areas: University

Ken Inglis is Emeritus Professor of History at ANU. He was Vice-Chancellor of the University of Papua New Guinea from 1972 to 1975 and in 1982 he was Professor of Australian Studies at Harvard University. His previous work includes The Australian Colonists, The Stuart Case, Hospital and Community, Churches and the Working Classes in Victorian England and Sacred Places: War Memorials in the Australian Landscape, winner of The Age Book of the Year and The NSW Premier’s Prize for Australian History in 1999. He also edited the 10 volume, bicentennial history Australians: A historical library. Whose ABC? is the long-awaited follow up to his history, This is the ABC: The Australian Broadcasting Commission 1932–1983, which will be re-released in August 2006.