The ABC is considering legal action against One Nation over a video in which the children’s character Bluey is shown driving over former premier Daniel Andrews.
The clip, published two years ago, was raised during a Senate Estimates hearing in Canberra on Tuesday, as scrutiny intensified over political material depicting violence against public figures.
ABC managing director Hugh Marks told the hearing the video had only come to his attention the previous week. He said the broadcaster was examining what action could be taken over what he described as a “shocking use of Australia’s most loved character”.
“In my view, it is an infringement of intellectual property,” Mr Marks said, rejecting the suggestion that the video was protected as parody or satire.
Senate Estimates chair Varun Ghosh said the clip showed Bluey driving an SUV over Mr Andrews before reversing over him repeatedly.
“I appreciate it was published two years ago, but it has a particular poignance in the last week,” Senator Ghosh said.
ABC considers cease-and-desist action
Mr Marks confirmed the ABC had obtained legal advice and was weighing its next steps. He said lawyers would need to be “confident of the nature of the action that we would take” before contacting One Nation.
“A cease-and-desist letter should be issued,” he said of the likely course of action. When Senator Ghosh described the use of Bluey as “heinous” and asked whether he had contacted One Nation outside the legal process, Mr Marks replied: “We will be taking further action, I can assure you.”
He also described the video as “disrespectful to the children of Australia”.
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson denies that the video amounts to an intellectual property infringement.
