Helen Coonan (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you to Senator Wortley for the question. The question is based on a completely false premise that I have ever endorsed or ever had a proposal for advertising on the ABC or have ever raised the issue of advertising on the ABC. What I did was respond to a question from a journalist in which I said that sometime down the track it might be a matter for the board to raise the issue of ABC advertising. I made it very clear in that interview, I think, or certainly in a subsequent one, that the ABC has just had its triennial funding looked at and that takes any suggestion of how it funds itself out of the question up until at least 2009. Clearly, in the circumstances, advertising is not even permitted under its current charter. So those who got out the egg-beater and whipped up something that was non-existent can put it away again. There is no immediate prospect of advertising on the ABC, and that at least goes up to 2009. Even if there were to be any consideration of advertising, you would have to change the charter of the ABC to consider it. You would also need to have regard to the proper interests of commercial broadcasters, who obviously advertise, and that is a critical issue.