Our ABC - only 10 cents a day

Friends of the ABC says:

• On average, each Australian pays 10 cents a day for their ABC. For this, they get two television channels, four national radio stations, nine metropolitan and 39 regional radio stations, three internet radio stations, six symphony orchestras, ABC Online and Radio Australia.
• The ABC should receive at least enough funding to continue its current services.
• With new technologies such as digital television, the ABC should be funded to innovate and explore new ideas.
• The ABC's staff costs are rising at 4% per year, and new technology is expensive to implement, yet funding is just keeping up with inflation.

The Howard Government's record:

• Cut $66 million from the ABC budget when they came to office in 1996.
• Funding shortages have lead to the sale of Radio Australia's Cox Transmitter, a drop in drama production from 100 hours in 2001 to 20 hours in 2004-05, and an increase in commercial activity.
• Current funding has only just returned to 1991 levels in real terms (adjusted for inflation).
• The ABC would need a 30% funding increase to return funding to 1985 levels in real terms.
• $88.2 million of funding in the 2006-09 triennium was tied to specific activities. Much of this was to make up for what was lost through funding cuts - regional programming, drama production and capital renewal.
• During the election campaign, the Coalition has announced a promise to provide $82 million over four years to fund a dedicated digital ABC channel dedicated to children's programs. It is a condition of the funding that half the broadcast content is of Australian origin. The channel is intended to be aimed at a range of audiences from pre-schoolers to young adults.
• The proposed new children's channel will replace previous channels, ABC Fly and ABC Kids, that were cut by the ABC in 2003 due to budgetry constraints. It will be another example of the Coalition determining the ABC's priorities through tied funding, rather than letting the ABC set its priorities according to its charter and the needs of the public.

Alternative policies:

• Labor's National Platform says they will provide "adequate funding to the ABC and SBS to ensure they deliver quality public broadcasting services" and ensure that they "are able to exploit the potential of new technology to deliver attractive and innovative content over digital television and the Internet". In a speech on 5 July 2007, Labor Leader Kevin Rudd said Labor would "rebuild Radio Australia". Labor's statements are positive but they have not given any specific funding commitments at this stage.
• The Australian Greens policy is to make funding to the ABC and SBS comparable to that of public broadcasting in the United Kingdom on a per capita basis. This would bring their funding to about three times the current funding for the ABC. The Greens also support a mechanism to maintain funding in real terms. The Greens also support the restoration of Radio Australia's transmission facilities and the ABC's overseas television service.
• In a statement provided to Friends of the ABC Tasmania, Dino Ottavi on behalf of his Senate Group have stated that "It is imperative that the ABC is given adequate funding in order to ensure that the Australian community have the ability to enjoy public produced programs of a diverse nature and range relevant to our Australian culture and values... ABC funding MUST NOT be manipulated or threatened since the importance of the ABC is central to a good democratic system in Australia."

Any parties or candidates who wish to have their policies featured here, please email us.

Authorised by Melissa Sharpe, 821 Huon Road, Fern Tree, Tasmania, 7054.