The ABC should be disqualified from this RFT process for trying to influence the outcome during the valuation period.

Anyone else in industry who tried this would be disqualified, to even have contact with the tenderer is not allowed, regardless of the reasons and I'm sure the ABC management know this but tried to skew the process regardless.

You are surmising about what News Ltd might do, when there is clear evidence of what the ABC did, even admission of contact, but denial of the purpose - what rubbish

If they are an honest and objective organization, the ABC should withdraw immediately

What a great bunch of people to run such a service and I'm sure all the targeted countries see Australia as being just as corrupt as they accuse all the Asian countries of being

what hypocrites we are in Australia

if the ABC were to withdraw its tender on the grounds that its MD had spoken to cabinet ministers about the job, then Murdoch, Stokes and Packer should hand back their televiion and radio licences, and sell up their newspapers and magazines. If Amicus had been reading the exploits of media proprietors in the last three weeks, he/she would realise that peddling influence and regime change is what media proprietors do. The Murdoch press in Australia has editorialised it wants a change of government. Packer is a member of the Liberal Party and Stokes regularly meets with pollies of both maih persuasions.

This is how Murdoch finds himself in the situation where we now all know the extent to which he will go to make a buck: just ask Tony Blair!

So the author and PaulR both ignore the corruption of the ABC because Murdoch did something else, unrelated to the tender or tendering process on the other side of the world.

PaulR wants to raise the strawman argument that News Ltd is an influence peddler, and he might be - but the subject at hand is the Tender for broadcast in Australia of the governments services.

PaulR are you OK with the management of the ABC unduly trying to influence the outcome of a tender?

News Ltd has kept within the rules, provided a better bid, and the ABC, outclassed, too expensive, then tries to win behind the scene with mates visits and wink wink nudge nudge, don't worry about due process or cost, it's only taxpayer money .. so who cares eh?

That's our tax dollars mate .. well probably not yours.

Put your News Ltd hatred and desire for censorship aside and consider the matter at hand, come on focus .. ah what's the use, the left is obsessed with silencing any criticism.

people buy newspaper from News Ltd because they give them what they want .. the ABC only delivers for the left and eco whackos in Australia, hardly fair or objective .. look at the disgrace that Q&A was last night, a true example to anyone from outside of Australia of the corruption that is our government services and providers.

Why do you think News Ltd does so well here, there's a huige part of Australia who have no voice no reflection of their values, except for news Ltd .. certainly not the ABC

Anyway, next election, the greenies will vanish, as will the ALP and then we might have a government with the agates to clean up and give back too the people, the ABC.