Hezbollah TV network investigation reopened
A DECISION by the Australian Communications and Media Authority to reopen its investigation into the TV channel al-Manar has been welcomed by the Jewish community.
PETER KOHN
A DECISION by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) to reopen its investigation into the TV channel al-Manar has been welcomed by the Jewish community.
The Lebanese-based network, which is Hezbollah’s media outlet, is available in Australia via satellite, but has been banned in the United States and many parts of Europe.
ACMA chair Chris Chapman said the watchdog will revisit its probe of the channel, with public submissions and wider sampling of content.
The inquiry will once again check whether al-Manar is breaching Australian anti-terrorism laws. It will also look at revamping its regulatory arrangements for future investigations.
Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) president Robert Goot welcomed the new inquiry and said ECAJ would work with interested organisations to ensure their concerns are addressed.
“It is gratifying that the scope of the investigation, as announced by ACMA, incorporates the breaches of licence conditions by al-Manar that were specified in ECAJ’s formal written submission to the government.”
After an initial investigation, ACMA’s decision last September to give the green light to al-Manar drew the ire of Jewish communal groups and the Coalition’s communications spokesperson, Senator Nick Minchin.
The regulatory authority has conceded it reopened its investigation amid public concern about the limited number of al-Manar shows reviewed, and the lack of specialist knowledge at ACMA, which caused it to overlook an advertisement recruiting funds for an arm of Hezbollah.
Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) executive director Dr Colin Rubenstein also welcomed the review. “Al-Manar is a station owned and operated by a terrorist organisation, which airs programs espousing hatred of Jews and glorification of terrorism.”
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