Anne Urquhart (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I withdraw that, but he deceived the Australian people. He deceived the Australian people prior to the election when he said there would be no cuts to the ABC. Even his minister, Minister Turnbull, on 7.30 the other night could not even support him. Malcolm Turnbull said:

Well—well, look, you know, I mean, I've defended the Prime Minister on this today and earlier in the week. I think you've got to take his comments, which—look, I mean, what he said, he said, and, you know, it's there, it's on the record. But you've got to take that in the context.

What context do you take when he said there will be no cuts? How can that be taken out of context when as opposition leader—an opposition leader one day, the Prime Minister the next day—he stood up and told the Australian voters that there will be not cuts to the ABC? Then, the very next day when he becomes Prime Minister, he has obviously changed his mind His minister is saying that you have to put it in context. I do not know what context you can take that in. If they say there will be no cuts to the ABC, that is what people believe. They believe that is what he will do. But now we have a situation where there are 400 jobs going.

Then at Senate estimates last week where we had members of the National Party raising their voices at the Managing Director of the ABC, Mr Mark Scott, demanding that they provide some comfort for regional Australia, that they not lose some of their regional services. This is your government. Your government are the ones that have introduced the cuts to the ABC. It is interesting to note that in questioning from Senator Conroy to Senator Johnston, Senator Johnston talked about cuts to the ABC—