Which Candidates are Standing Up for the ABC?

Over the past few weeks ABC Friends Tasmania have been surveying candidates for the Federal election about their views on the ABC. The results are available at https://www.abcfriends.net.au/who_will_stand_up_for_the_abc_in_tasmania

Campaigns are run tightly these days and several parties offered a consistent party view for all candidates throughout Australia. So, we know what the party thinks but not for all questions.

Our questions included:

Do you support restoration of ABC funding by $140 million per year, to be phased in progressively over 3-years commencing in 2026, and will you push for this if you are elected?

Will you support the introduction of a dedicated fund to fully fund the ABC’s emergency services?

Will you oppose the privatisation of the ABC and guarantee that it remains free-to-access for all Australians: no ads, no subscriptions and no downgrading of services?

Do you support additional funding to ensure that high quality ABC services can be received by all Australians?

If elected, will you push for specific legislative and other measures to protect the ABC’s independence?

Do you support a change the indexation formula for the ABC to cover the impact of real-world inflation, including the cost of content production?

How important do you consider the ABC to be in addressing misinformation and disinformation in our society?

Candidates could also make additional comments

Labor candidates answered YES to the first 6 questions. They opposed privatisation and agreed to protect the independence of the ABC. Labor candidates supported additional funding for the ABC, for its emergency services and for an indexation formula to cover the impact of real world inflation.

Greens candidates were strongly supportive of the ABC with all candidates answering YES to all questions and some provided additional responses.

Liberal candidates opposed privatisation and agreed to protect the independence of the ABC but did not support additional funding for the ABC.

These were easy questions to answer for One Nation and the Trumpet of Patriots. Every answer was a NO! This is not dissimilar to Trump’s current attempt to defund all public broadcasting in America.

Independents offered a wide variety of responses. We also note that Andrew Wilkie is Co-Chair of ABC Parliamentary Friends and is a strong advocate. Angela Offord was also very supportive but said: “I do have concerns around ABC reporting and the 2021 Election reporting policy as it concerns equally reporting on the two major parties as ‘they will form government.’ The electorate understands that the two major party paradigm is changing with 30 % people not voting for a major party in the last federal election and the likelihood of minority government. ”

ABC Friends believe that Tasmanians have a right to trusted information. It helps us understand how government policies and the actions of vested interests affect our lives. Access to reliable information is essential for the functioning of democracy and enables us to shape the kind of society and lifestyle we want in our state.

The ABC is critical infrastructure. It strives to ensure Tasmanians are well-informed and have access to information we need to participate effectively in our society. It’s also a key cultural institution, generating stories about us, reflecting who we are, where we’ve come from and where we may be going. And in times of emergency, it is the ABC that Tasmanians turn to for timely and accurate information.

Peter Tatham is President of ABC Friends Tasmania.

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