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ABC to send cease-and-desist over One Nation’s Bluey cartoons

By Drooid · Oct 28, 2026, 09:59 UTC · How we work

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Summary

ABC is preparing legal action against One Nation for unauthorised Bluey use in political cartoons.
Senate estimates minister Marks said the videos infringe Bluey’s copyright and are not parody.
ABC will send a cease-and-desist letter and may seek damages.
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson denied any IP breach while MP Barnaby Joyce called the videos satire.

Summary

Melanie Kleyn left ABC as chief operating officer, receiving $869,771 compensation.
Trent Dickeson, formerly of Seven West Media, succeeded Kleyn as ABC’s chief operating officer.
ABC’s weeknight 7 pm news viewership increased 7 % to 899,000 nationally.
Four Corners’ editorial failures prompted removal of two episodes and a full leadership overhaul.
Managing director Hugh Marks earned $1,199,856 total remuneration in the 2026 financial year.

History

In response to the 2004 Australia-US Free Trade Agreement, the Australian Parliament enacted the Copyright Amendment (Parody and Satire) Act in December 2006, effective January 2007, creating a fair-dealing parody exception and capping non-commercial damages at A$10,000. The ABC, a supporter of the reform, now cites the law to sue Pauline Hanson over unauthorised Bluey cartoons, prompting executives like Hugh Marks to tighten compliance.

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Historical Context

In response to the 2004 Australia-US Free Trade Agreement, the Australian Parliament enacted the Copyright Amendment (Parody and Satire) Act in December 2006, effective January 2007, creating a fair-dealing parody exception and capping non-commercial damages at A$10,000. The ABC, a supporter of the reform, now cites the law to sue Pauline Hanson over unauthorised Bluey cartoons, prompting executives like Hugh Marks to tighten compliance.

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