On 20 June 2025, ABC Radio Hobart’s Breakfast host Ryk Goddard once again left listeners questioning the impartiality of our national broadcaster.
The issue at hand was the Australian Doctors Federation’s Open Letter, co-signed by more than 100 health professionals, including Tasmanian State Liberal Party candidate Dr Julie Sladden. The letter called for an urgent review of the “gender affirmative treatment” model in Australia’s youth gender clinics, citing serious risks to children and aligning with recent international developments such as the Cass Review in the UK. It urged health bodies to cease puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and surgeries for children, and to adopt psychosocial support as the first-line treatment for young people in distress.
This is, by any measure, a highly significant development. Yet instead of giving space to Dr Sladden, Dr Rachel Bradley, or experts like Dr Phillip Morris, President of the National Association of Practising Psychiatrists, Ryk Goddard chose only to interview activist Rodney Croome.
During the segment, Croome dismissed Dr Sladden’s position and challenged her to “listen to trans people.” Ryk did not question Croome’s claims, nor did he mention the legal significance of the recent Re Devin case, or the weight of evidence cited in the Open Letter. Instead, what could have been a platform for nuanced discussion became another exercise in affirming a pre-determined narrative.
When a formal complaint was lodged, the ABC Ombudsman’s Office brushed it aside. The Ombudsman argued that the “newsworthy focus” of the interview was changes to blood donation rules and that Croome’s comments on gender-affirming care were simply his “personal views.” They concluded that there was no editorial obligation to balance Croome’s perspective with medical expertise.
This explanation misses the point entirely. By allowing Croome’s activist talking points to stand unchallenged—and by failing to mention the Open Letter’s evidence-based concerns—the ABC effectively shielded listeners from crucial information about child safeguarding, medical risk, and international shifts in policy.
Worse still, ABC staff continue to downplay concerns about the broadcaster’s ties to ACON’s Australian Workplace Equality Index (AWEI), which critics argue has compromised its editorial independence on issues of sex and gender.
The pattern is now clear: whether it is Ryk Goddard or Leon Compton, ABC Hobart continues to exclude dissenting medical voices and elevate activist positions, all while claiming adherence to impartiality.
If the ABC Chair Kim Williams is serious about ending “activist journalism,” then the broadcaster must urgently address these failures. Otherwise, Tasmanians—and Australians more broadly—will continue to question whether the ABC is serving the public interest or the agenda of political lobby groups.