Soft power is a country’s ability to gain influence through attraction. Australia’s soft power in the Pacific began waning when it axed the Australia Network in 2014. And China is filling the gap.
Loss of the service will impact Australia’s international image, media diversity in the region and coverage of news from the Pacific.
dithern
The termination in the 2014 budget of the ABC’s international television broadcasting contract to run the federal government’s Australia Network service, barely a year into its ten-year term, was hardly…
The Chinese TV market is hard to crack.
Shutterstock
ABC International has reasons to be proud of its recent “landmark” deal to provide ABC content in China. The deal, which will see the establishment of an online portal, also seems to make it harder for…
Rather than axing the Australia Network, the government should rethink our soft diplomacy strategy in spreading Australia’s message to countries such as Indonesia.
EPA/Adi Weda
According to reports, the Abbott government is considering scrapping the ABC’s Australia Network in the May budget to save money, ending its role in “soft diplomacy” efforts in the Asia-Pacific region…
The way the Federal Government has handled the Australia Network tender could see it forced to pay compensation to Sky News.
AAP
The Australian Government’s handling of just who should run the Australia Network is manifestly controversial. And it may have put itself in the position of having to pay out compensation to the passed-over…