ABC Moves to Block One Nation's Use of Bluey in Violent Cartoon

Australia's national broadcaster plans to send a cease and desist letter to the populist party One Nation over a cartoon that uses the beloved children's character Bluey in a violent scene. ABC managing director Hugh Marks described the video as "shocking and disrespectful".

Marks told a Senate estimates hearing on Tuesday that he learned of the possible intellectual property breach last week and sought legal advice. "We will be taking further action, I can assure you," he said.

The matter surfaced when Western Australian Labor senator Varun Ghosh, who chairs the communications committee, asked whether the ABC had taken legal advice about the 2024 political cartoon, titled State of Melbourne. It has drawn 1.3 million views on YouTube. Ghosh acknowledged it was published two years ago but said it carried "a particular poignancy in the last week". The hearing came a week after the alleged attack on independent MP Helen Haines outside her electorate office in northern Victoria, which left her without both legs.

Marks said he believed the use was a clear breach and that a cease and desist letter should be issued. The ABC has contacted Bluey's international distributor, BBC Studios, and its Brisbane-based creators, Ludo. According to Marks, Pauline Hanson's party never sought permission to use the character. The BBC, Ludo and One Nation have been approached for comment.

"It's not a parody of any Bluey work," Marks said. "It's not a minor use of the [intellectual property]. In my view, it is an infringement of the intellectual property, number one. But it's also a shocking use of Australia's most loved character." He added that the character is probably the most loved in the world in a video, and that the use was disrespectful to the children who love it.

The three-minute animation shows Bluey driving an SUV into depictions of former Victorian premier Daniel Andrews, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and TV host and conservationist Robert Irwin. Before being hit, the Albanese character tells Bluey: "You've got that crazy look in your eyes". In another scene, Andrews is at the wheel with Albanese as a passenger, and the car deliberately runs over Bluey and Irwin. The politicians are then shown placing their bodies in the boot.

The estimates hearing also covered other ABC matters. Marks said former news director Justin Stevens received a termination payout of $353,230 because Marks did not want him to work out his notice period. "I felt it was important that we move forward with new leadership," he said. Stevens, whose total remuneration for the financial year was $864,394, was replaced last month by Reuters executive Simon Robinson after 19 years at the broadcaster. His base salary was $529,202, according to the annual report.

Marks also told senators that "mistakes" were made in programs produced by former Four Corners reporter Mahmood Fazal, and that the program's entire leadership has now been replaced. The ABC has removed several programs made by Fazal, a sacked bikie turned journalist, over concerns about his use of anonymous interviewees. "We did a review of Mr Fazal's work and found substantial flaws in much of that work," Marks said. The broadcaster is reviewing its editorial guidance on anonymous sources.

Former Four Corners executive producer Sally Neighbour alleged in the Monthly that an associate of Fazal played different roles in different stories while disguised behind a mask. Fazal has said he stands by his reporting. In July, he said he was "shocked" by the removal of two episodes and believed the ABC's decisions "set a worrying precedent for the organisation's independence and commitment to public-interest journalism".