Doug PollardStar Observer Scott Abrahams
Supporting, reporting and critiquing the gay community - a conversation with Sydney Star Observer Editor Scott Abrahams
DOUG: We’re going to Sydney where we have on line, the editor and publisher of the Sydney Star Observer Scott Abrahams. Good morning, Scott.
SCOTT: Good morning, Doug. Are you dry yet?
DOUG: Yes. There’s actually sun shining this morning. How ‘bout you?
SCOTT: No. Unfortunately [laughs] there’s no sun shining here. Fairly dim and overcast today.
DOUG: It’s got to the steaming stage this morning, which is: yuk. You know? If I’d wanted to live in Queensland I’ve have gone and lived in Queensland. It’s been like living in Queensland, this last week or so.
[laughs]
SCOTT: I was on the ‘phone to the Southern Star team yesterday and I had to get them to speak-up. I couldn’t hear them, from the sound of the rain on the roof of the office. I was amazing.
DOUG: It was. It’s been absolutely incredible. We’ve had an enormous amount of water which is nice for the dams and all that – but anyway, m’mm. A nice little announcement from your organisation, last week – you’d given almost $AU600,000 to the community in the last financial year – well, I think a big: thank you. For a start. On behalf of everybody.
SCOTT: Yeah. We’re pretty chuffed I must say; my almost 4-years in the chair I think it’s 40 per cent up on our previous record, of community support. It’s nice to be able to give back, it’s nice to be – m’mm, it’s nice to work with an organisation that makes giving back a part of its operating.
DOUG: We’re talking here in terms of contra deals and the like aren’t we?
SCOTT: Yes. Contra. There’re some sponsorships sitting in there as well – particular sponsorships with organisations to help them with for example, some sporting organisations. To help them with things – like, jerseys and travel. That kind-of stuff as well.
DOUG: M’mm, m’mm.
SCOTT: So, it’s a fairly mixed bag of how we help.
DOUG: That’s not too bad considering you made quite a sizeable loss last year and you’ve turned it ‘round almost 180-degrees this year?
SCOTT: Yeah. We were like a lot of other small businesses. We really suffered at the hands of the global financial crisis, you know? It wasn’t just about advertising downturn – as anybody in the media is aware a lot of the people who advertise with us also had difficulties fully paying their bills. So – m’mm, it was quite a broad brush. Of course 2-weeks before that the supposed date of the GFC [Global Financial Crisis] we had just launched Southern Star in Melbourne so were, sort-of left with a new baby and a few issues we had to handle on-the-run. To be able to turn it around has been a lot of hard work from my team. But we’re very, very happy to have done it.
DOUG: I know you’ve said this on the programme before. But it’s always worth repeating, your papers are community owned.
SCOTT: Yeah.
DOUG: It’s not in a strict sense, a commercial enterprise although it has to make a profit, obviously.
SCOTT: Well, of course. I’ve still staff that need to be paid. I don't know any that want to work for free.
DOUG: [laughs] You tried that with me Scott and it doesn’t work.
[laughs]
DOUG: Now can I have that raise?
SCOTT: M’mm.
DOUG: You’re actually owned by community organisations?
SCOTT: Yeah, that’s correct. There’re about 400-shareholders in total. They’re non-dividend shares and obviously, they have some interaction in the company itself. But it was about providing a platform not just for activism. But a communication tool between the communities and it continues to be that, today.
DOUG: Maybe because of that you’re very much an independent voice.
SCOTT: Sometimes that’s difficult.
[laughs]
SCOTT: Sometimes, that can put us at loggerheads with the organisations we go out of our way to support. But we think it’s important to maintain our editorial independence; delivering truth as opposed to someone’s take on a particular position I think is one of the biggest strengths of our organisation and something we’ll never shy-away from.
DOUG: What’s making news with the Sydney paper, this week?
SCOTT: Ice – crystal-meth.
DOUG: It’s something we haven’t talked about much lately, isn’t it?
SCOTT: Yeah. It seemed to have disappeared for a while. But there’s a new survey out, done by the National Drug and Alcohol Centre and the AIDS Council of New South Wales now known as ACON – of just over 100-people, male and female interviewed – that showed them using meth 3-times a week. On average 3-times a week in the last 3-months. Which combined with the fact they’re also reporting they’re more likely to engage in risky sexual behaviour is a little bit of an alarm.
DOUG: That’s still an issue we need to deal with within the community isn’t it?
SCOTT: Yeah and I think, finding ways of dealing with it is difficult – like, any form of illicit substances use there have been particular ways of delivering the message but – m’mm - - -
DOUG: It’s the intersection with the safe-sex message. That’s the real problem, here. Isn’t it? Because - - -
SCOTT: Yeah. Well, that’s exactly right.
DOUG: - - - we do seem to be having a slight increase in HIV rates if I understand correctly.
SCOTT: Yeah. Nationally; although what’s interesting about that national figure is a significant proportion of the increase is from the heterosexual community. It makes you wonder how HIV is still perceived as a gay man’s issue because really, if the last 25-years have taught us anything is it doesn’t discriminate at all. Maybe there’re some key messages to take from that?
DOUG: Indeed.
SCOTT: The other sad thing up here this week is the MP for Orange, Russell Turner has announced his retirement. It’s not often you find a community ally in the National Party. But in Russell Turner we certainly had one, he has crossed the floor on numerous occasions to vote for GLBT law reform in the New South Wales parliament. His son Scott is gay and he credits him with – m’mm, opening his eyes to the broader issues and understanding a little bit more. So it’s going to be a little bit sad when he hands-in his parliamentary key at the end of March as the New South Wales Labor government tries to get another term.
DOUG: Will he be able to exert any influence on his replacement so someone equally sympathetic might get the job?
SCOTT: His replacement is a gentleman by the name of Andrew Gee and he assures us he has had very long conversations with him about better understanding our community. Understanding the issues that face us and does believe that there will be some consistency in the hand-over for that particular seat. What makes it even more unusual, it’s such a rural seat. I mean, Orange is a big place but it still very much has rural roots so we’ll wait-and-see I guess. We’ll be keeping an eye on what happens, there.
DOUG: To have sympathetic faces and voices within the Nationals and the Liberals is of course, going to be very important. Because barring a major miracle – like us – you’re going to have a Liberal/National government aren’t you?
SCOTT: It certainly seems to be that way although, I do note Kristina Keneally’s appeal to the general populace on the front page of the Sydney Morning Herald last Saturday saying, please give me some more time – but look, I think – all the polls are indicating a significant swing against the government and quite a number of seats for a Liberal, National coalition to easily form government.
DOUG: What’s the relationship between the gay community and the Liberal / Nationals, like. In New South Wales?
SCOTT: M’mm, the National Party – probably not so good. But the Liberal Party, quite good. Barry O’Farrell the New South Wales Liberal leader is quite receptive to issues and conversations around those kinds of things that face our community. Certainly, I’ve had many an interaction with him on Twitter and he goes out of his way to assure he listens – I mean, obviously – you’ve got to contemplate how much of that is actually political rhetoric – but certainly, our interaction with him would lead us as a publication to feel confident we would get a fair hearing.
DOUG: I’m wondering if people like ACON and the rest of them are making any overtures, to try and build some links with the Liberal/National Coalition because that would seem to me to be a sensible thing to be doing, right now.
SCOTT: I think you’ll find pretty much every GLBTI organisation in Sydney are ensuring they’ve good relationships with the Liberal/National Coalition at this point in time – I mean, who knows? March is still quite some time away and Mardi Gras sits in-between that. Lots of things could change in that period of time but certainly at this point, it seems that we will be getting a change of government.
DOUG: M’mm.
SCOTT: In March; if the polls can be believed?
DOUG: Therefore, good idea to hedge-your-bets.
SCOTT: M’mm.
DOUG: Scott – thanks for joining us this morning.
SCOTT: Always a pleasure. I look forward to catching-up with you next Wednesday at the Southern Star Christmas Party.
DOUG: Yes. I will see you there.
SCOTT: Excellent.
DOUG: Thanks for that. That was Scott Abrahams, there. The editor and publisher of Star Media the publishers of Sydney Star Observer and the Southern Star, here in Melbourne. As I say, a great community resource like Joy community owned-and-operated.
