Union cries foul on ABC funding but federal government bites back

The media union’s claims that the ABC’s ‘dwindling resources’ are under siege have been labelled ‘demonstrably false’ by the federal government.

A spokesman for Communications Minister Paul Fletcher said there would be ‘no change to the ABC’s funding arrangements in Tuesday’s budget’. Picture: AFP

The media union’s claims that the ABC’s “dwindling resources” have been put under further siege have been labelled “demonstrably false” by the federal government.

Speaking at an ABC Friends Victoria rally at Hawthorn — a location chosen because it was in Treasurer Josh Frydenberg’s electorate of Kooyong — the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance’s vice president Karen Percy said the triennium review of the public broadcaster’s government funding put “extra pressure” on the ABC to perform approaching the end of the term, which is due to expire in June next year.

“They (the federal government) quite like the fact that they have to keep us on our toes year after year at budget time,” the former ABC staffer told more than 400 attendees at the event on Saturday night.

“I don’t think anybody has any guarantee that come this week’s budget that there’s not going to be some little something for the ABC. If not this year it will be the next or the next or the next.”

The event had a united front of representatives from community group ABC Friends, Australian political activist organisation GetUp and the MEAA.

An event flyer said the rally was held to “raise the roof about attacks on the ABC”.

In the 2020 federal budget, the Coalition made no change to the ABC’s current funding triennium — instead it paused indexation funding until the end of the 2021-22 financial year.

The next three-year funding arrangements are yet to be announced.

The public broadcaster has more than 4000 staff across 50 locations and receives about $1bn a year in funding.

A spokesman for Communications Minister Paul Fletcher said there would be “no change to the ABC’s funding arrangements in Tuesday’s budget” and hit back at claims the national broadcaster’s resources had been cut.

“Suggestions the current three-year arrangements involve a cut to the ABC’s funding are demonstrably false,” he said.

“The ABC’s general operational funding, transmission funding and total funding from government are growing each and every year of the current triennium.”

Addressing the National Press Club in Canberra last week, ABC chair Ita Buttrose said she did not expect any cuts to the ABC’s funding in the federal budget.

“We are not expecting any surprises in the budget but one can often be surprised,” she said.

“We have to wait and see what the Treasurer has in store for us with the budget but we are not expecting any particular cuts, but it may be different next year when we go to the polls.”

On Saturday night, Ms Percy also told the crowd there was “relentless bashing by politicians, media rivals and ideologues” that was “hobbling the national broadcaster and that is having a huge impact on staff”.

“Staff are stretched so thin, they are working so hard,” Ms Percy said.