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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2018-06-20 Daily Xml
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Australian Broadcasting Corporation

The Hon. F. PANGALLO (16:32): I move:

That this council—

1. Recognises the significance of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (the ABC) to South Australians and especially to regional South Australians;

2. Acknowledges the importance of the ABC remaining a public broadcaster; and

3. Rejects any attempt by the federal government to sell the ABC.

I am not sure if the Australian Broadcasting Commission has ever screened the US cult movie Dumb and Dumber, but picking a fight about privatising the national broadcaster is not a laughing matter, and not a very smart move. That is exactly what the Liberal Party's federal council did over the weekend, with rank and file members passing a motion to sell off the national broadcaster. Not one delegate at the national conference spoke out against the motion—not one! The federal council's 'own goal' rivals that of Nigeria's luckless Oghenekaro Etebo in Croatia's easy 2-0 win over Nigeria in their World Cup group D opener on Saturday, and similarly risks giving the Labor Party an easy free kick at the next federal election.

The Liberal Party's federal council has done nothing more than start a losing battle that opens up the Turnbull government to a justifiable attack. On Monday, the Prime Minister swore black and blue that the ABC will never be sold, but we all remember Tony Abbott's 2013 election eve pledge of no cuts to the ABC or SBS. That was broken faster than you can say 'ABC' or 'SBS'.

Make no mistake, the ABC is under attack by the federal government and ideologues on the right of the Liberal Party. Funding for the national broadcaster was cut by $84 million in May, with the federal Treasurer Scott Morrison saying the reduction was justified because 'everyone has to live within their means'. It could be argued that a few politicians could apply that advice to themselves when spending taxpayers' dollars, especially when it comes to their travel entitlements.

The $84 million cut over the forward years comes on top of the government's decision not to continue a further $43 million targeted to grant support for news gathering and after cuts of the magnitude of $254 million in successive budgets since 2014. The federal Minister for Communications, Mitch Fifield, has also announced the second efficiency review for the ABC and SBS, echoing the Lewis review in 2014. Fifield is a member of the Institute for Public Affairs, otherwise known as the IPA, the right wing think tank that has long been advocating for the privatisation of the ABC.

There is no doubt that the cuts to the national broadcaster will impact audiences and make it difficult to fulfil its charter requirements. In 2014, following the reductions in funding, cutbacks were made to ABC rural and regional services, including the decommissioning of the Bush Telegraph radio program, as well as the closure of five regionally-based ABC offices. At the time, the National Farmers' Federation (the peak body representing Australian farmers) expressed apprehension that services, as well as the priority of regional services within the ABC, would diminish. The latest cuts mean that regional services will be further imperilled.

In 2017, we saw the federal government welcome One Nation support for its media reform package in return for the implementation of various pieces of legislation for purely political motives, which aim to chip away at the independence of the ABC and SBS. Those bills are yet to be debated, and, with One Nation's dwindling representation in the Senate, we hope they will be shelved.

The time has come for us to stand up to the ABC's critics and defend the broadcaster no matter where you sit politically. It is not in anyone's interest to stay silent while the ABC is being done over by the coalition government. Addressing the National Press Club yesterday in Canberra, ABC managing director, Michelle Guthrie, said:

The people of Australia, who regard the ABC as one of the great national institutions…deeply resent being used as a punching bag by narrow political, commercial or ideological interests.

As a journalist for more than four decades and someone who worked there, I can say with some authority and experience that the role of independent journalism is a centrepiece of democracy. The ABC remains the most trusted media organisation in Australia and one of the most trusted institutions in general.

In 2016, independent OmniPoll found that 86 per cent of those surveyed felt that the national broadcaster provides a valuable service to the Australian community. In October 2017 an Essential Trust in Media poll found that the ABC TV news and current affairs was the most trusted source of media in Australia, and the October 2017 Essential Trust in Institutions poll found that the ABC was the fourth most trusted institution in Australia, behind only the federal and state police forces and the High Court. Where did political parties poll, you may ask? Dead last, coincidentally, just behind trade unions.

The ABC matters to Australians, and so it should. A ReachTel poll in the federal seat of Mayo, which faces a by-election on 28 July, revealed that residents want funding for Aunty increased. Mayo covers a wide rural and regional landscape from Springton in the north to Goolwa in the south, taking in the Adelaide Hills, the Fleurieu Peninsula and Kangaroo Island, and is home to many leading agricultural and farming producers. In many instances, the ABC is one of the only sources of news and commentary of issues impacting our country for rural and remote Australians, even those in the Asia Pacific region.

It was not surprising, then, that the survey of more than 1,000 residents in Mayo saw voters across all age groups support maintaining or increasing funding for the ABC, with older voters the most likely to support more funding. Cutting funding to the ABC is unpopular enough—proposing to privatise the national broadcaster is political poison.

Georgina Downer, the Liberal Party candidate for Mayo, while on the campaign trail has been forced to say that selling the ABC is something the IPA, her employer, believes is a great idea but is not necessarily her opinion—yet another backflip on comments attributed to her. I do not buy it and neither do the residents of Mayo. They are not gullible.

Rebekha Sharkie, my Centre Alliance colleague, who is recontesting Mayo, is a fierce supporter of the ABC and will fight tooth and nail if re-elected to ensure the ABC stays in public hands. With Rebekha back in parliament, Peppa Pig, Shaun the Sheep and ABC icons B1 and B2 will all be safe. Oh yes, and let's not forget Tony Woodhouse and the Nation Building Authority in Utopia.

The National Farmers' Federation is acutely aware of the integral role the Australian Broadcasting Commission plays in the lives of all Australians, particularly rural and regional Australians. In a submission to a Senate inquiry earlier this year, it stated:

ABC is also one of the only media entities that produces a free dedicated news services to primary industries (there are a number of smaller enterprises that offer email subscription news services that source revenue from advertising). Landline, CountryHourand ABCRural amongst others are regarded as institutions by many in the sector.

Keeping rural, regional and remote Australians connected also carries significant community benefit. Overall the NFF considers the ABC plays a positive role for regional Australians and the agricultural sector.

It is said that public broadcasters have a unique ability to inform and empower Australians to take part in public debate. They also play a vital role in ensuring a transparent political process and the accountability of state institutions towards the public. I could not agree more. Preserving the independence and future of the ABC is in the best interests of all Australians, no matter where they live. I commend the motion to the chamber.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. I.K. Hunter.

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