Cathy O'Toole (Herbert, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Like many Australians, I grew up with the ABC. I remember when we got our first television set—that'll be giving my age away a bit! It was a black-and-white Pye television set. I remember sitting with great excitement with my sisters and brothers as our mother turned on the television set for the very first time. We sat mesmerised in front of the TV as we watched Noddy. I have never forgotten that point in time in my life. This was the very first television program that I ever watched. I was in primary school, and it was on the ABC.

My children all grew up watching Play School and Sesame Street. These were great educational programs. I remember shows such as The D-Generation, Brides of Christ, G.P., Countdown and many, many other quality programs. The ABC has been the training ground for so many Australian actors, producers, writers and other craftsmen and women.

To this day, I have my ABC routine. Given my busy lifestyle now, I'm very selective in how I use my free time, and I now only really watch the ABC. The week starts with Insiders on Sunday morning. Monday night is my biggest ABC viewing time, with shows like Four Corners, Q&A and others. I also watch the news and 7.30 whenever I can. I actually don't have a list of all my favourite shows because I don't have time to read them out.

It is a reality is say that the ABC is the most trusted news broadcaster in this country. Seventeen million Australians watch some form of ABC content every week. In regional Australia in particular, the ABC plays a vital role in keeping regional communities connected with local news and emergency information.

The ABC has been created by Australians for Australians. That is why this LNP government's cuts to the ABC are dismaying and disgusting. The LNP is cutting $83.7 million to our ABC. This is on top of the previous cuts to the ABC, which included $254 million in 2014 and $28 million in 2016. These cuts have already resulted in 800 ABC staff walking out the door. Services like short-wave radio shut down, and there was a drop in Australian content. In Townsville, we have experienced the slashing of our very popular local Drive content.

Now we are facing more cuts to jobs, content and services. The ABC has said that these latest cuts are the equivalent of cutting into the meat of the broadcaster and, if we give those opposite another term, we can expect they will do more than just cut the funding, because we all know that what they really want to do is to privatise the ABC. The Liberal Party's peak council voted almost two to one to privatise the ABC. If the LNP sell the ABC, which is one of our greatest assets, it would be the end of independent media in the country. This will result in the growth of Rupert Murdoch's ideologies throughout all major media outlets. That is what the LNP government truly wants to do. We have already seen the dirty deals done with the LNP, One Nation and Centre Alliance. That delivered the votes needed to breathe life into the government's deal with One Nation to attack the ABC.

The only way to save the ABC is to change the government. A Labor government will reverse Turnbull's $83.7 million unfair cut to the ABC as well as guarantee funding certainty over the next ABC budget cycle. The ABC is funded on a three-yearly, or triennial, basis with the next cycle to begin next year, so it is critical that we fight against the LNP government's unfair cuts to the ABC now. Labor's commitment will ensure our public broadcaster will have the funding stability it needs to meet its charter requirements, safeguard the jobs of people at the ABC, adapt to the digital media environment and maintain content and services that Australians trust and rely upon.

I support my ABC. I do not support the LNP government taking more of a slashing knife to the ABC. I do support the fact that we need to boot out this government—out of the arched window in fact. Enough is enough. The difference between Labor and Liberal could not be more clear. Labor will put people and services first, whereas the Liberals will cut, cut, cut while supporting banks and big business.

Now is the time to save the ABC. Please sign our petition to protect and save the ABC. Labor will reverse the LNP's $3.7 million of cuts, guarantee funding directly and give them certainty over the next budget cycle. Labor is committed to an independent media market for Australia and not tearing Big Ted, Bananas in Pyjamas and our ABC to shreds. (Time expired)

Tim Wilson (Goldstein, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I think what I need is a Banana in Pyjamas to give me the energy to get over these contributions—and not just by the member who spoke before me! It's the triviality, the childishness and the tawdry nature of the motion that has been put before this Federation Chamber.

When I look at a motion like this, I say, 'Haven't the members opposite got anything better to do with their time than the virtue signalling to those people who want to engage in a confected fight and war to defend the ABC from the evil tyranny of those people who have criticisms of it?' I've got to tell you, Mr Deputy Speaker, that I actually like the ABC. There are products and content that I don't mind. There are programs where I sometimes say, 'I welcome that contribution to national public life.' It might be informative or educative and actually quite good. But it doesn't mean that I think the ABC is without criticism.

When it comes down to it, the ABC shouldn't be treated as some sacred cow that deserves protection above and beyond all other government agencies—untouchable by government, where they might actually, as part of the triennium of funding, occasionally have efficiency dividends or obligations. They do it to themselves; they find ways to make efficiency dividends so that they can provide new services and new opportunities to provide content. And I think there is an entirely legitimate case to criticise the ABC about its Sydney-centricity. I know that won't bother many of the members opposite, who like to represent the inner Western Sydney perspective of the world. But some of us come from other parts of Australia! Some of us come from other parts of the community, representing different values, different attitudes and, critically, different Australian stories.

That's where the ABC could do so much to help itself—to actually give voice to the lived Australian experience. To give voice to the voiceless—to those whose stories have not yet been written or told. The ABC could do so much to advance the cause of this Australia fair if they made sure that they gave every Australian the opportunity and the platform.

Let's just look at the Sydney-centricity of the ABC, where so much of its resources, its staff and its talent pool is poured into Ultimo to create a myopic and limited world view of this nation. Frankly, what we need in the ABC charter is more diversity. Yes, people always say, 'Diversity of opinion and political bias,' and all those sorts of things. But I'm talking about geographic diversity, and not just rural and regional Australia—although that is critically important. The ABC charter should actually recognise that there are other capital cities apart from Sydney. Melbourne is a capital city too, and so is Brisbane. So is Adelaide, so is Hobart and so is Perth.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Tim Wilson (Goldstein, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I know you mock it on the other side, but some of us care about places beyond the Emerald City—to give the stories of those parts of the country a voice too. Let's face it, when it comes down to it, if I had a choice between which program is more biased or more myopic in its ABC world view, between Q&A versus Insiders, I'm going to make Barrie Cassidy's day. I reckon that Insiders is more reflective of a diversity of views than the programs on Monday night from Ultimo in Sydney.

What that says is that the more the ABC gets out, the better—the more the ABC turns around to this great nation and says, 'We want to represent everybody as part of the story of this nation. And this is where I give proper credit to programs like Back Roads, to lots of other comedy programs which are made outside Sydney and to those that try to tell the stories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. These are the stories that don't get their voice on national television and which don't get onto commercial broadcasters. The more we see of that then the more confidence the ABC will hold and the more confidence it will have within the Australian community.

Frankly, the people who have been doing a better job at this than the ABC are actually SBS. Yes, they've created programs which tell the stories of the lived experience of Australians, and they've actually shone bright lights into dark places.

Ms Claydon interjecting—

I know you can mock it, but the reality is that programs that focus on things like homelessness and that focus on the challenges faced by refugees are critically important to educate, to inform and to grow the opportunity experience of Australians. I would like to see more of that from the ABC, not less.

Julie Owens (Parramatta, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's good to hear that the member for Goldstein believes that the ABC should do more.

Tim Wilson (Goldstein, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My electorate is named after a suffragette. I expect it to be named properly.

Kevin Hogan (Page, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Parramatta has corrected it.

Julie Owens (Parramatta, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Could I start again, please?

Kevin Hogan (Page, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You can.

Julie Owens (Parramatta, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is good to hear the member form Goldstein say that he'd like to see the ABC do more; most of us would. It's just a shame that they cut their budget, which makes it incredibly hard for the ABC to do even what it does now, which I personally believe it does incredibly well. I grew up with the ABC, many of us did, and there wouldn't be a parent or a grandparent in this country who doesn't live with ABC Kids every day of their lives and watch their children discover the ABC in the same way that we did.

On the eve of the 2013 election, Tony Abbott said there'd be no cuts to the ABC, and we all hoped that was true. Then what happened? There was $254 million cut from the ABC in 2014 and a further $28 million was cut in 2016. We've all seen the results: around 800 ABC staff have lost their jobs; the Australia Network has been axed; short-wave radio has been shut down; and the number of hours of ABC factual programming has been dropped by 60 per cent, drama by 20 per cent and documentary by 13.5 per cent. We can expect to see future cuts this year, because, while the Abbott-Turnbull-Morrison government has found $30 million for Fox Sports this year, they have cut another $83.7 million from the ABC.

Let's face it, that suits the government. It has a habit of trying to silence its critics with legislation or with the overblown rhetoric and bullying that we saw in this chamber just prior to me standing. If Australians need any more proof the Liberals are on a mission to destroy the public broadcaster, they got it when the Liberal Federal Council voted to privatise the ABC in June this year. The Liberal Federal Council voted overwhelmingly to sell off the ABC, and when we, Labor, stood in this House and moved a motion in parliament calling for the Turnbull government to pledge that it would never support the privatisation of the ABC, they squibbed; they voted it down.

Don't expect any better now that we have a third Prime Minister. It might be a new Prime Minister, but it's the same tired old bunch. We still have Mitch Fifield, a card-carrying member of the Institute of Public Affairs in the role of Minister for Communications, and the IPA advocates strongly that the ABC be broken up and privatised. Not only is the minister a member of the IPA; he's made a donation to the IPA and spoke, in 2008, about the merit of the privatisation of the ABC and Australia Post. That's not all. We know that Minister Fifield is a serial complainant on the ABC—on everything from ABC internal staffing policies to the disclosure of presenter salaries, the date of the Hottest 100 and the content of comedy sketches. He's fixated on the ABC, but not in a good way.

The ABC is more important than ever. In a world where fake news is prevalent, the ABC delivers news and information that Australians trust. The ABC reaches 71 per cent of Australians each week; 12.3 million Australians watch ABC TV each week; 7.6 million visit ABC online each month; 4.9 million Australians in five capital cities listen to ABC Radio each week; the ABC News channel reaches an average of 4.4 million viewers a month; and more than 80 per cent of Australians trust the ABC compared to an average trust of just 57 per cent for commercial media. There is no Australian media organisation in the country that is more trusted, valued and distinctive than the ABC.

But, let's face it, if the Morrison government can't cut the ABC to death, or privatise it to death, there are other ways. They can meddle with the ABC Act, and, thanks to a deal with Rebekha Sharkie and her colleagues in Centre Alliance, that's exactly what is happening now. The Prime Minister is forging ahead with his government's attack on the ABC, with three bills to amend the ABC Act and charter which are being debated in the Senate this week. On top of that, there's a damaging so-called 'competitive neutrality inquiry' aimed at undermining the ABC in the online environment. These are all deals which undermine media diversity and the public interest in Australia, and they are a real live threat to the ABC as we know it.

Labor believe that the ABC is one of our most important institutions and part of the fabric of our nation. We're united in our belief in a strong, independent and properly funded ABC. That's why we've committed to reversing Scott Morrison's unfair $83.7 million cut and to guaranteeing stable funding for our ABC. At a time when too many Australians feel disengaged from their democracy and distrustful of their institutions, Labor want to restore trust and faith in our wonderful ABC.

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

I thank the member for Mayo for bringing this important motion opposing any efforts by this Liberal government towards the privatisation of the national broadcaster, our ABC, because that's a fight that I am very happy to take on. The ABC is very much a part of our social and cultural fabric here in Australia. Every day, it entertains, it informs and it enlightens. It tells our unique Australian stories and reflects our national identity. It shines a light on misdeeds and speaks truth to power. At times of crisis, during floods, droughts and fires, it's there to give us the information we need to stay safe and connected.

An astounding 71 per cent of Australians have viewed, read or heard some ABC content in the past week. Having secured the trust of 80 per cent of Australians, it is far and away the most trusted news source in our country. More than 60 per cent of Australians say it needs a boost in long-term funding.

But these views are not borne out by the actions of this deeply unrepresentative Liberal government, whose own federal council voted this year to privatise our national broadcaster. In fact, from day one, the Liberal government has gone after the ABC with a zeal that it usually reserves for climate change scientists. It has cut its funding. It has attacked its content. It has vilified its personnel. It has used it as a bargaining chip in its dirty deals with One Nation. And it has not finished yet. Make no mistake: the ABC is now in for the fight of its life—or, more accurately, the fight for its life.

Despite going to the 2013 election with an unequivocal promise not to cut the ABC, the Abbott government slashed $254 million in its first horror budget, in 2014. In 2015, it installed as minister Senator Mitch Fifield, a card-carrying member of the IPA, which has long argued that the ABC should be broken up and sold off. On this issue, the minister once said:

Conservatives have often floated the prospect of privatising the ABC and Australia Post. There is merit in such proposals.

In 2016 the Turnbull government slashed a further $28 million from the ABC budget. In 2017 the government used the ABC as a bargaining chip in a deal with Pauline Hanson, which the Financial Review described as 'the biggest assault on the ABC's independence in decades'. In return it promised no less than three bills to change the ABC Act and charter, as well as a so-called competitive neutrality inquiry, designed to undermine ABC Online.

Tragically, the government's relentless attacks are hitting their mark. Since 2014, 800 ABC staff have lost their jobs; the Australia Network has been axed; the shortwave radio has been shut down; and content has also suffered, with the number of hours of factual programming plummeting by 60 per cent, drama dropping by 20 per cent and documentary falling by 13.5 per cent. But none of this made a jot of difference to Treasurer Morrison, who went on to slash a further $84 million from the ABC budget in the 2018 budget. At the time, he tried to justify the cut by saying that everyone has to live within their means. The sheer hypocrisy of this statement is laid bare when you learn that this is the same man who gifted $30 million of taxpayers' money to global media giant News Corp's pay TV operation Foxtel. We still don't know how this money is being spent or why indeed a private company should be given millions of dollars of public funding in the first place.

But it's clear that it's now crunch time for the ABC. If we're going to save it, we're going to have to fight. But this isn't just nostalgia for a venerable cultural institution: the health of our very democracy is on the line. When you don't have a diversity of media voices, it's very hard for a multitude of views to get exposure and very easy for powerful players and vested interests to drown out other perspectives. Let's face it, life without Jack Irish, Mystery Road, Rake, Janet Kingand Black Comedy is a life unimaginable. Hands off our ABC, Mr Morrison!

Susan Lamb (Longman, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I love our ABC, and I know that the people in the community where I live in Longman do too. They love their ABC; I've had countless people from Caboolture, Burpengary, Bribie Island, Beachmere and Morayfield—choose any spot across Longman—approach me worried about the coalition governments and what they've been doing, and are seeking to do, to our beloved ABC.

We all remember how the member for Warringah, Tony Abbott, promised during the 2013 election campaign that there would be no funding cuts to the ABC under his government. We all know how that turned out, don't we! Since 2014, the out-of-touch Liberals have overseen $282 million in cuts to the ABC. That has seen 800 jobs lost and a drop in Australian content and services, including the axing of both the Australia Network and short-wave radio offerings. And, as announced in the then Treasurer Scott Morrison's 2018 budget, they are going to do it all again, this time cutting $83.7 million worth of funding over the next three years.

I commend the member for Mayo for calling these disgraceful cuts out for what they are. This is privatisation by stealth. In an era of fake news and outrageous editorials, we need the ABC more than ever. Australians trust the ABC because the ABC has earned that trust. It has earned our trust by reporting the facts, by remaining impartial and by avoiding bias, as has been proven by study after study. It has earned our trust by acting as a towering figure in the fourth estate. The ABC holds people and governments to account.

Programs like 7.30 and Four Corners not only keep regular Australians abreast of what is happening in their capital, in their country or anywhere in the world, they help to shape their present. The in-depth reporting that is ever present in the programming guides political discourse, helping us, as politicians, to do much better. For example, it was Four Corners that highlighted the rorting and abuse of seniors in aged-care facilities. It has been their damning reports that have pushed this government into finally acting by calling for a royal commission into the sector. The Liberals have shown their contempt for the aged-care sector. Prime Minister Morrison cut $1.2 billion from aged care in his very first budget, but the ABC stoked the flames of political pressure that ultimately incited this royal commission. Congratulations, ABC!

The cuts to the ABC were not about budget repair and they were not about reducing any non-existent waste. The cuts to the ABC were a matter of ideology, pure and simple. We all know there are countless members of the Institute of Public Affairs, or the IPA, within the ranks of the LNP government. The IPA have long advocated for the ABC to be broken up and privatised. It just so happens that the Minister for Communications and the Arts, Mitch Fifield, the minister presiding over the cuts to the ABC, is not only a card-carrying member of this partisan organisation but he is also one of their donors. Minister Fifield has been anything but subtle in his attempts to undermine our 'Aunty' ABC. He has publicly admitted that he sees merit in its privatisation and he currently has three bills before parliament that have been designed to inflict damage on our ABC.

The Liberals have engaged in this battle against our ABC for many, many years, slowly chipping away at the very network which reaches 71 per cent of Australians each and every week, and it's pretty clear these attacks will continue into the future. In June this year, the Liberal Party's peak council, which represents party branches across the country, voted overwhelmingly in favour of selling off the ABC.

It's not just the party council engaged in these attacks, it's their next generation, the Young Liberals. In their submission to the Treasury, ahead of the 2018-19 budget release, the Young Liberals called for a wide-scale reduction of the funding provided to the ABC. Having only just expressed their alarm at the level this government's mismanagement has inflicted upon our nation, it isn't easy to understand their rationale by cutting a service that they recognise as continually returning money to the budget.

Kevin Hogan (Page, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There being no further speakers, the debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.