Andrew Broad (Mallee, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

So often, when people buy a vehicle in my electorate, they will tune it to the ABC and they will drive that vehicle for a duration of time. They will, of course, when they trade it in, still have it tuned to the ABC. My electorate does understand very firmly that you have to have a strong economy if you are going to afford a great society. It is not unreasonable for us to ask for a five per cent efficiency within that broadcaster. We have to run a strong economy. We take that very seriously, and that means we have to have competing choices. What defines us as a government is whether we have the guts to make those choices—choices that sometimes may be seen to be slightly unpopular, but they are choices that are ultimately seen as right.

I want to affirm that there do need to be some changes within the ABC. I want to send a signal to Mark Scott, the CEO of the ABC, to make sure that they understand their regional charter and maintain that. If we have to choose between driving productivity—which means having roads, delivering education and delivering oncology wings in our local country hospitals—and asking the ABC to make a five per cent efficiency cut, then that is the choice that we make. That is responsible governance. I am proud to be part of a responsible government, and my electorate will ultimately reward that choice.