Nick Xenophon (SA, Nick Xenophon Team) Share this | Hansard source

I can indicate that the first I was aware of these proposed changes that Senator Leyonhjelm had negotiated—the acronym is almost the same: ABC, ABCC and SBS—was when I read media reports on it this morning. I have not looked at them in detail. I understand there is a requirement that there be, in at least half the board meetings, some community consultation. I have not considered this at length. I am more concerned about budget cuts to the ABC and SBS. I am more concerned about getting rid of Fact Check, which I thought was a good accountability measure; there were suspicions that it was removed as a result of political pressure on the ABC, which the ABC, in fairness to them, denies.

I think that at the next Senate estimates we should ask the ABC what they actually think of these changes. If the extent of the measure proposed by Senator Leyonhjelm is that the boards open it up to questions from members of the public about what they are doing, that would concern me much less than issues of budget cuts and subtle pressures on the editorial independence of the ABC and SBS, in particular in respect of their investigative reporting.