Stirling Griff (SA, Centre Alliance) Share this | Hansard source

Of everything the ABC is known for, nothing is more important to Australians and to Australian democracy than its news service. All Australians depend on the ABC for its public interest journalism, but these services are particularly important in regional areas that would otherwise go without any local news coverage. This coverage is absolutely vital for Australians who live outside big metro areas and want to know what is going on in their communities and what their local governments and representatives are doing. The ABC's regional journalists do incredible work. They have won literally hundreds of awards for their coverage over the last decade. They have exposed corruption and wrongdoing and kept regional Australians safe and informed throughout times of crisis.

Funding for this work comes from the Enhanced Newsgathering Program, which sits outside the ABC's base funding. Why? Well, because it is not base funding. It is not automatically rolled over each funding cycle. This means regional journalists have no certainty whatsoever about their ongoing employment. The ABC struggles to attract and retain journalists, who need security in their careers and their finances. The government recently announced that they would extend the program for another three years and increase the funding. I've been advocating for this for years and emphatically welcome that commitment, but I would like the government to bite the bullet and roll this into ABC's base funding. This program deserves to be made permanent. It provides incredible value for money and an essential service to regional Australia. So let's make it a commitment today not to let down regional Australia in the future.