GetUp: ABC under attack …

The Turnbull Government – abashed by truthful reporting – just slashed $83 million from our ABC.1 Added to Tony Abbott’s 2014 cuts, that’s over $320 million gutted from our public broadcaster.2

The ABC’s Managing Director says these cuts will make it hard to function as they should, and after the last round of cuts, we lost Lateline.3,4 If these go through, we could be watching the final episodes of Four Corners or 7:30.

Even more concerning, Pauline Hanson is mounting a hostile parliamentary review of the ABC and SBS, designed to interfere with their charters and editorial content.5

It’s a dream come true for Rupert Murdoch and the conservative IPA think tank who’ve been fighting for years to cut, gut and destroy our ABC. We have to fight back.

Fortunately, the ABC is one of the most liked and respected organisations in Australia.6 And in a matter of weeks, this Government is facing five by-elections in a ‘Super Saturday’ mini-election.7

If we can respond with a massive petition in defense of our ABC, we can prove these attacks are political poison at the ballot box. GetUp members have helped lead the charge in defending our ABC before – and right now the threat is greater than ever.

Can you sign the petition ( https://www.getup.org.au/campaigns/media/save-our-abc/save-our-abc-f86755c2-b5fe-468c-a302-f6f82e51e152?t=E0L15Eu01k ) to Save our ABC from political interference and funding cuts?

The world-class reporting of programs like Four Corners and 7:30 has benefited each and every one of us. Here’s just a small sample of what may never have come to light without our ABC:

• The horrors of the live export trade, sparking a huge campaign8

• Institutional child abuse in Don Dale detention centre, which lead to a Royal Commission9

• Adani’s rampant tax cheating, which helped turn the tide of public opinion against the mining giant10

The ABC’s fearless journalism makes our society a more transparent and democratic place, and catalyses meaningful change.

Can you imagine if Pauline Hanson and the IPA succeed in forcing the ABC to represent their extreme agendas at the expense of truth? It would be a fate worse than cancellation.

Click here ( https://www.getup.org.au/campaigns/media/save-our-abc/save-our-abc-f86755c2-b5fe-468c-a302-f6f82e51e152?t=E0L15Eu01k ) to add your name to the petition calling for the fearless journalism at the ABC to be fully protected from politically motivated attacks.

These new cuts are clear political payback for the ABC’s honest reporting on the Turnbull Government’s corporate tax cuts and for daring to describe Tony Abbott as ‘destructive’ on climate change.11

If they go through, it could have a chilling effect on ABC reporting on our elected leaders.

It’s not just the fate of our ABC that’s at stake, but also the right of all Australians to hold the government of the day to account. An attack on our ABC is an attack on democracy.

Let’s show the Turnbull Government just how badly they’ve underestimated support for our ABC – starting with a massive, immediate petition directly after their anti-ABC Budget.

Together, we can make sure no politician will dare attack our public broadcaster again.

In hope,

Ruby, Neneh and Mark – for the Getup team

References …

[1] ABC funding slashed by $84m in budget to help broadcaster ‘live within their means’, The Guardian, 8 May 2014
[2] ABC funding to be cut by $254 million over five years, Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull says, ABC News, 20 November 2014
[3] ABC axes Lateline as part of current affairs journalism overhaul, The Guardian, 5 October 2017
[4] Federal budget 2018: Guthrie vows to oppose ABC indexation freeze, The Australian, 9 May 2018
[5] The politics behind the competitive neutrality inquiry into ABC and SBS, The Conversation, 3 May 2018
[6] “Polling: Trust in Institutions”, Essential Report, 6 September 2016
[7] Super Saturday of by-elections looming as latest twist in citizenship saga, The Herald Sun, 10 May 2018
[8] A Bloody Business, Four Corners, 30 May 2011
[9] Australia’s Shame, Four Corners, 25 July 2016
[10] Digging into Adani, Four Corners, 2 October 2017
[11] Budget cuts are an attempt to bully the ABC into silence, The Guardian, 10 May 2018

Can you join the fight today … HERE

• Examiner: No more fat to cut, ABC news director says
Ruby, Neneh and Mark – for the Getup team