Thank you for your wonderful support during a very challenging year.

I know it has been an unusual and stressful time for you personally and certainly it has been a difficult year for the ABC.

For many of us it is hard to understand why some members of the Federal Parliament have such personal animosity towards the ABC.

Do they resent its independence to scrutinise?

Are they reluctant to accept fresh ideas and reporting based on evidence?

Would they prefer Australia become captive to fake news and conspiracy theories?

The vast majority of Australians are proud of the ABC as a national icon and they want to see it prosper because they recognise it is a key pillar of our democracy.

Our public broadcaster provides a range and diversity of services so that everyone benefits.

It is great concern that there are those in the parliament who believe that the ABC should only report on partisan news as determined by the government of the day.

It is also disturbing when political priorities overshadow public interest.

In 2021 we must insist that all parliamentarians commit to a fresh assessment of the Federal Government’s public broadcasting funding policy.

The ABC is an essential public institution and must have agreed guaranteed funding on a five-year basis so political decision-making cannot undermine its independence.

We take it for granted that it costs the taxpayer a great deal to maintain the Australian Parliament and the functioning of an elected government. Similarly, we expect that the ABC will be properly funded to fulfil all responsibilities under its Charter.

Effective democracy is an investment we should all value.

I hope you enjoy a relaxing holiday season with your family and friends.

Merry Christmas!

As we consider our goals for 2021, please don’t forget there is still time to order our ABC Friends Resilience & Renewal Calendar, which we are now offering our calendars at a discounted price of $18 as we can no longer guarantee that orders placed after today will reach you in time for Christmas, but still in plenty of time to plan ahead how we will continue to support our ABC in 2021.

Margaret Reynolds
President
ABC Friends National