“Very opportune timing.” Arms industry influence through media.
ABC Media Watch aired two powerful stories this week about undeclared conflicts of interest in the defence/arms industry domain. Undue Influence did some more digging.
Conflict class – ABC reporter’s freebie travel to Germany
In a stunning revelation, Media Watch alleged that the ABC’s long-term defence correspondent, Andrew Greene, secretly travelled to Germany on business class flights and was put up in two separate hotels with all expenses paid by German naval shipbuilder ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS).
TKMS is on a shortlist of two battling to win Australia’s $10 billion general purpose frigate program. Its sole remaining rival is Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (more on Mitsubishi below).
This is a globally significant contract and both companies have been working overtime to gain an edge, including by exerting influence through media.
Soon after Media Watch submitted its questions to the ABC about Greene’s trip, the ABC deleted Greene’s 11 June story for The World Today from its website. The ABC had been under the impression from Greene that he obtained the audio recording of the ThyssenKrupp CEO Oliver Burkhard’s press conference via email. Greene did not disclose his all-expenses-paid trip to ABC listeners because he had not disclosed it to his bosses, having told them he was taking personal leave.
Such junkets are against ABC rules. Greene did not comment to Media Watch. An ABC spokesperson said: “These are serious allegations and the ABC is investigating them. The ABC has rigorous editorial policies and any such behaviour, if proven, would be unacceptable and could constitute misconduct.”
Greene’s trip to Japan last year
In mid-December and late January, the ABC published several exclusive reports by Greene about Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ bid for the $10 billion frigate contract. The reports contained this disclosure: “Andrew Greene travelled to Tokyo as a guest of the Foreign Press Centre Japan.”
Undue Influence’s investigation of the Foreign Press Centre Japan (FPCJ) website has found that Greene was in Tokyo from 8-14 December (a second page says 7-13 December) courtesy of a fellowship provided by the FPCJ.
The week-long fellowship occurred one month after the Albanese Government halved the short list for the frigate contract from four countries to two: Korea and Spain were dropped; Germany and Japan remain.
On its webpage about Greene’s fellowship, the FPCJ says the fellowship supported a series of reports, to which it provides links. Each of the three linked reports was about Mitsubishi’s bid for the frigate contract.
Two were published in late January:
29.01.25 online “Last month the ABC was invited to inspect a current version of the Mogami FFM frigate being operated by the JMSDF [Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force], the first time a foreign media representative was allowed on board the advanced Japanese warship.”
29.01.25 radio “The Japanese Maritime Defence Force is, for the first time, showing off its Mogami warship to a foreign reporter.”
The FPCJ webpage says Greene commented after his fellowship program that it was “very opportune timing” to be able to “cover the Mogami when the Australian navy was considering the Mogami-class for their next frigate, and he was very satisfied with the program”.
Undue Influence asked the FPCJ who had funded Greene’s fellowship and how much funding was provided. It responded: “We, the Foreign Press Center Japan, are the host of the fellowship and all costs of the program were covered by our budget.”
The FPCJ declined to provide the value of the fellowship but listed what it included: economy-class flights, accommodation (incl breakfast), airport-hotel transfers, per diem, interpreters and escorts to assist with reporting, transportation cost to cities >100km from Tokyo, and insurance. Other expenses to be met using the per diem and the reporter’s own resources.
Our further searches of the FPCJ’s website revealed that its supporting members provide funding for fellowships for foreign journalists.
Two of the giant Mitsubishi Group’s companies – Mitsubishi Corporation and Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation – are shown on the FPCJ website as being supporting members of the FPCJ.
For more information about the FPCJ’s fellowship program see this brochure. This is a legitimate program which Undue Influence is neither criticising or questioning. Our questions were about the funding of Andrew Greene’s fellowship given its “opportune timing”, the exclusive access he was granted by direct invitation, and the information in these two screenshots above.
Our second set of questions to the FPCJ asked whether Mitsubishi had been involved in the awarding or funding of Greene’s fellowship.
The Centre responded (“no”) that Mitsubishi had not provided any funding at all towards Greene’s fellowship. It also said (“no”) the Centre had not had any discussions about the awarding of Greene’s fellowship with representatives from Mitsubishi or officials from the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force prior to the Centre awarding Greene his fellowship.
Heavy hitters lobbying for ThyssenKrupp in Australia
Amongst the team lobbying for ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems in Australia is former Labor opposition leader Kim Beazley, who is on the advisory board of lobbyist TG Public Affairs. The firm has a solid defence focus and has disclosed TKMS as a client in Australia on lobbying registers.
TG Public Affairs also acts on behalf of Saab Australia, a long term defence contractor supplying the combat management systems for the navy’s fleet of surface warships.
Earlier this month, TKMS signed a memorandum of understanding with Saab Australia aimed at enhancing TKMS’ bid for the frigate contract.
Other members of the TG Public Affairs advisory board include: former Labor senator Stephen Conroy; Jane Halton, a former secretary of the Finance Department; former Coalition defence minister David Johnston (who was formerly on Saab’s board of directors and also formerly Australia’s defence export advocate) and Steve Grzeskowiak, a former deputy secretary with the Defence Department. John Brenton is the firm’s managing director. He’s a former Australian diplomat who served in the US during Kim Beazley’s time as US Ambassador.
Mr Beazley is also a director of Luerssen Australia. Luerssen’s German head office, Naval Vessels Lürssen (NVL), last year formed a joint venture with TKMS to build the Meko A-400 for the German navy.
View the Media Watch segment on Andrew Greene (7:24)
Arms advocate
It was encouraging to hear Media Watch host Linton Besser call out the perpetual failure of Australian mainstream media to advise audiences of the vested interests of their interviewees.
Former major general Mick Ryan has written numerous columns and been interviewed by multiple media outlets, including the ABC’s Insiders and 7:30, about the urgent need for Australia to follow Ukraine’s example and buy more drones. While he was the example Media Watch chose to highlight on Monday, he is by no means the only example. It has been standard practice for years in Australian media – TV, radio, and in print – to ignore the vested interests of interviewees.
Ryan is entitled to make a buck any way he sees fit, as Besser put it, including by advising and investing in drone companies. However, the public also has a right to know that Ryan has a vested financial interest in telling this particular story.
Ryan is a military expert and has been open about his drone interests: they are shown on his LinkedIn profile. It should be standard practice for producers/journalists to research and discuss with their interviewees all relevant financial interests. That information must be disclosed to the public.
In the absence of a program host or journalist doing their job properly, Ryan – and all other experts interviewed by media – should disclose their related interests themselves. Every time.
Besser is right: the Australian mainstream media is “pretty rubbish” at advising the public of the vested interests of the people they interview.
Watch this segment (4:13)
My decision to not watch msm was n is a sound one.
That said I am thankful that you are able to stomach their deceit and their participation in all that we are living through.
Thank you and may God continue to bless you n yours.
Jane Halton again, I wonder if she is still with Naval Group.