One small step for broadcasting. One giant leap for Parramatta.
Comparisons to the moon landing are surely not out of place following Sunday night’s debut ABC 7pm newscast from Parramatta Square. As intrepid explorers venturing out of the inner city, hosts Jeremy Fernandez and Nakari Thorpe look, if not quite at home, then at least happy to be here.
It’s a thrill for locals, but presumably baffling for everyone else, to see projections of the Parramatta skyline, including landmarks like Phive behind set. Passersby can observe the anchors through glass, in a homage to famous studios like Seven’s Martin Place and NBC’s Times Square.
This is an important signal by the ABC. Relocating its flagship news bulletin to the geographic centre of Sydney, the logical next step in a plan that has been afoot since 2021. So far, ABC Radio has broadcast its Mornings, Afternoons, Drive and Weekends slots from Parramatta. Presenters and production teams have been dragged here over hot coals if necessary – and fair enough.
As incongruous as it may be to visualise Annabel Crabb and Leigh Sales doing their podcast from Toongabbie, the growing population of more than 2.5 million who live in Parramatta or further west are not alien lifeforms. Under its charter to provide comprehensive broadcasting services, the ABC has a duty to reach and reflect all Australians, evolving with our changing society. After all, it’s a federal agency paid for by us.
Remarkably, the ABC’s Sydney news division is now embedded in a city where nearly 60% of residents speak a language other than English at home. Being closer to audiences from a wider range of socio-economic and cultural backgrounds will inevitably lead to a wider range of stories being told. It will open up the organisation to fresh creative talent. Viewers can also expect a gradual realignment of news values as Aunty adjusts.
For example, when the mercury soars, an ABC actually interested in resonating with viewers will vox pop ‘Pondi’ rather than Bondi. Most Sydneysiders don’t live anywhere near a beach. And their experience of climate change is less about eroding coastlines or the loss of marine life, but baking in suburbs that lack tree cover, in temperatures several degrees hotter than Ultimo.
Until now, the ABC has seemed to regard western Sydney residents through the lens of a Petrie dish. Even appointing a so-called “Western Sydney reporter” for many years felt condescending, as if the triumphs, struggles and experiences of our communities could be compartmentalised and given a pat label, like the customary “furry animal” story just before the weather.
Perhaps we are finally moving past such outdated thinking. Take the relative inequity in access to services here – such as finding a bulk-billing GP or being able to walk to the nearest bus or train stop. It’s time to recognise that Western Sydney stories are in fact Sydney stories.
Reorienting news stories out of Parramatta will also expose more of the ABC’s journalism to religious, as well as secular values, reflecting society at large. After all, the west is not only home to Sydney’s so-called ‘Bible belt’ but many other deep-seated faith communities. Diwali may not be a thing in Glebe; it is in Girraween. Diasporas from China, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, South East Asia, the Balkans and the Middle East, residing far from the city’s usual political and economic power centres, may find their perspectives more included in news coverage.
Of course, all this necessitates significant internal change within the organisation, and leaked reports suggest the ABC workforce is not happy. Frankly, some of these people need to drop the attitude or find another place to work. To employees grumbling about the commute to Parramatta – welcome to the real world. To so-called “talent” that refuses to appear here in-studio, realise you are going to be bumped off by a new generation of influencers and talking heads.
For Parramatta itself – and those local advocates that have fought for years to turn our city into a prestigious centre of story-telling – there can be no greater satisfaction than seeing the vision succeed. While it may take SBS a little longer to ditch its Artarmon headquarters, the fact it has committed to establish a Western Sydney production presence shows that it sees the writing on the wall.
The centre of gravity in Sydney is moving. And Parramatta is finally where it’s at.
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