Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to share the personal stories of some of the staff of 1233 ABC Newcastle, who are today reeling from the savage cuts to our local ABC. These notes are from a blog written last night by one of the members of staff. I draw the attention of the House to the personal stories, to people like Di McCracken, who shares the front desk with Kartja Baidoo, and works two days a week. This was Di's first foray back into the workforce after taking time off to have her children. She has always gone above and beyond in everything she needed to do and is always there with a smile. Unfortunately for Di, her role since getting a stable job and some security in life has absolutely melted away.

Grant Wolter is one of the producers at 1233. In addition to all the work that he does in the radio station he has been spearheading initiatives such as 'Album of the week' to ensure Australian music is heard on radio stations. Kristie Ferguson, Nick Gerber, Carol Duncan and Helen Clare are not just figures; they are real people with real pain and real stories and jobs. (Time expired)

See this speech in context