When you think about it, what has the ABC done that’s of any use during the last term of government?
Sure, it helped create the #metoo movement, co-funded a bunch of investigations along with Fairfax including the current raft of shocking revelations about exploitation of workers in various franchises including 7-Eleven and Red Rooster, revealed the horrors of the Don Dale Detention Centre in Darwin, exposed the monstrosities of the live export trade, methodically took apart the Murray-Darling agreement that is killing our greatest inland waterway, and even gave back a bunch of filing cabinets full of embarrassingly classified documents when the government sold them off as scrap.
So, naturally, the government wants payback.
Thus the federal budget contained one massive cut that no-one saw coming: almost $84 million from the national broadcaster to send the message “be more shut up”.
“In order to ensure the ABC continues to find back-office efficiencies the Government will pause indexation of the ABC’s operational funding. This will result in savings to the Budget of $83.7 million over three years from 2019-20 to 2021-22. This will maintain the ABC’s base operational funding at 2018-19 levels.”
The inside of Scott Morrison’s mind right now.
Given that the ABC has been steadily defunded by the government since the first Abbott budget – remember that promise of “no cuts to the ABC and SBS”? Yeah, that lasted literally weeks – this is merely the latest salvo in a war on our national broadcaster which they can’t even acknowledge lest it seem partisan.
Oh, and speaking of which, but Foxtel got a $30 million present for “sport and stuff”, last year, although the paperwork of the deal appears nonexistent.
Also, excitingly, Scott Morrison found an extra $50 million for a nice Botany Bay upgrade, including a special “inclusive” memorial thing for Captain Cook. And, in a marvellous coincidence, it’s in Morrison’s own electorate! Why, what are the odds?
Just thought we’d mention that, just in case you were wondering where the government’s cultural priorities might lie.