ABC star Laura Tingle sparks outrage after labelling Australia racist in extraordinary spray

A high-profile ABC presenter has come under fire for branding Australia “racist” and accused of bias after blaming the opposition.

The national broadcaster’s chief political correspondent Laura Tingle made the comment during a discussion panel for the Sydney Writers’ Festival on Sunday.

‘We are a racist country, let’s face it. We always have been and it’s very depressing,” she told her audience at Carriageworks.

Tingle repeatedly accused Liberal Leader Peter Dutton of fanning the flames after calling for a reduction in immigration to ease pressure on the housing market.

Her comment has sparked criticism, with Tingle accused of breaching her responsibility to remain impartial as a political reporter.

Tingle was appointed to the ABC board in 2023 as a staff-elected director and is required to ‘act in good faith and in the best interests of the ABC at all times’.

In March, ABC chairman Kim Williams shared a blunt message saying staff should leave if they breached the national broadcaster’s code of being balanced.

Tingle said she couldn’t remember the last time a major party leader was seen “saying… everything that’s going wrong in this country is because of migrants.”

‘[I] had this sudden flash of people trying to rent a property or at auction and they look a little different – however you define ‘different’ – (and) that he (Dutton) has basically given them a license to be abused, and in any circumstance where people feel like they are missing out,” she said.

Tingle accused Dutton of ‘dog whistling’ and said his call to reduce immigration did not make ‘rational sense’.

Shadow Minister for Indigenous Australians Jacinta Nampijinpa Price said 2GB Ben Fordham Live Monday that Tingle’s comments “create division.”

“I am truly disappointed in this continued narrative that is being promoted in our country that does not provide any sense of pride for our children,” she said.

‘It is absolutely divisive and we had enough of that during the referendum.

“Leading journalists, so-called leading journalists, like Laura Tingle, should know better than to use this kind of rhetoric.”

Senator Price also accused Tingle of political bias, despite her duty to be impartial as a political reporter.

“She says, ‘We’re a racist country, let’s face it, we always have been, it’s very depressing,’” she said.

“That’s not a reflection of the country, that’s her opinion.

‘Laura has shown her bias and I think Kim Williams (chairman of the ABC) needs to explain why it is acceptable for someone so openly partisan to be in the position of top political commentator.”

Fordham then read a list of comments submitted by listeners who unanimously disagreed with Tingle.

‘I live in a residential block with neighbors from Indian, Filipino, Chinese and African backgrounds, no problem, just sensational people. Laura is wrong,” one response read.

Another added: ‘Laura Tingle’s distorted and miserable view of this country ignores the fact that people come here in drones because this is the opposite of the picture she paints.’

Environment and Water Minister Tanya Plibersek told Channel Seven’s Sunrise program that she did not believe Australia was racist.

“I think it is a fantastic multicultural country, but we need to protect ourselves from incidents of racism that occur in our community, as in any community,” she said.

‘My parents came to Australia from Europe after the Second World War and I am so grateful every day that Australia took them in and that we were born here and grew up in this fantastic country.

‘Of course there are Australians who have experienced racism. That is of course absolutely true.’

Tingle also attacked Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor’s speech to the National Press Club on Wednesday, which she moderated.

“I said to him (Taylor), ‘So you’re saying we rely on migration for growth… what does that mean for growth if you’re going to reduce migration?’” she said.

‘He (Taylor) said something about Labor and the unions buying up all the houses, which I really didn’t follow.’

Tingle also appeared at the Melbourne Writers Festival this month, where she accused Australian journalists of “asking questions that are simply unanswerable, in the name of politics or media sports.”

She seemed less critical of Labour: ‘It’s not just about whether they’ve got rid of Scott Morrison, they’re actually trying to govern, they’re trying to run a government, they’re actually trying to make policy.

‘Whether you think the policy is bad or not is another matter.

‘We are not implementing the kind of stupid ideas that we now see from the coalition on the government’s platform.

“All this absolute nonsense that has been churned out by the government on a daily basis, don’t underestimate its value if you don’t have to put up with it.”

Daily Mail Australia has contacted the ABC for comment.