Jill Hall (Shortland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I was devastated today when I learnt how the Abbott government's cuts to the ABC were going to impact on my local area. ABC Newcastle 1233 has been downgraded from a metropolitan station to regional station. This means that a third of the staff at 1233 will be going. It means that shows such as Carol Duncan's afternoon show, which is a fantastic show, will be axed. When the bushfires hit Lake Macquarie and the Central Coast last year, Carol played a vital role in getting information out to those communities. She is a fantastic worker, she has a wonderful show and she gets across a wide variety of subjects. The fact that that show has been cut is devastating. In addition, the Sunday program with Helen Clare is being axed. Once again, it covers a wide variety of topics, a very broad range of subjects.

It demonstrates very directly how little concern the Abbott government has for the people of Australia. The government says one thing before the election and another thing after the election. I would think that all members, on both sides of this House, would be up in arms about these cuts to the ABC and SBS.