Shadow Minister for Communications, Michelle Rowland, has made a rousing speech in parliament advocating for a well funded ABC.
After watching the speech, ABC Friends National President, Margaret Reynolds said on behalf of all ABC Friends, "Thank you Michelle Rowland!!!"
"We need to remind All Federal Parliamentarians that our ABC is independent and needs reliable funding to provide broadcasting services to all Australians."
The speech was made in relation to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation Amendment (Rural and Regional Measures) Bill.
Rowland said:
This bill is all talk and no action. Even worse, it is a flimsy attempt to pay lip-service to the news and media needs of regional Australians. With this bill, the government shamelessly pretends it is doing something to help rural and regional Australia when it comes to the ABC, when in fact the opposite is true. The fact is that this Liberal-National government is hurting rural and regional Australians when it comes to the ABC. As I mentioned, this government has cut and is continuing to cut the ABC's funding, after promising no cuts to the ABC. We had the then Leader of the Opposition staring down a camera and saying, 'There will be no cuts to the ABC.' They've cut hundreds of millions of dollars from our great public broadcaster. The Liberal-National government's latest round of ABC funding cuts, totalling $83.7 million over three years, kicked in on 1 July this year. That same month, on 31 July, the government reintroduced this bill to carry on crying its crocodile tears that the ABC isn't doing enough for rural and regional Australia.