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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 7 Hansard (25 June) . . Page.. 2061 ..

MR CORBELL (continuing):

in the 6.00 until 7.45 am slot. What the planned cut to the ABC this year means is unclear, but we are already aware of what it means for ABC services in our region. Whether or not we like it, Canberra is often treated as a regional area by the ABC, and the impact of this $55m cut on regional services may very well foreshadow a further reduction of local radio services in Canberra.

Mr Speaker, the example I would like to draw to the attention of the Assembly is that of our neighbouring town of Bega. The $55m cut appears to be presenting a very clear threat to the ongoing provision of their already very limited local radio news service. There is a very real possibility that, when the ABC works out how it will cope with this cut, Bega will lose its local news service altogether; it will have no local news service whatsoever. That is not just for the people in that town but also for the people in the surrounding area. They will rely on a feed from Sydney for their local news and current affairs service. In effect, they will have no local content at all. This point, I think, demonstrates very clearly why I am moving this motion today. When a national broadcaster is unable to provide news and current affairs services which let people know what is going on in their own community, the relevance of that broadcaster is greatly diminished. That means that the ABC, as a national broadcaster, loses its relevance to people and, in effect, provides, unfortunately, further justification for still wider cuts to its provision of services and to the variety of programs it provides.

If it is Bega one day, it may be Canberra the next. That is why we, as this Assembly, must support this motion, which provides support to the ABC against the very explicit and broken promises made by our friends, the Liberals, up on the hill. We must support this motion today to add our voice to defend the ABC and to oppose the cuts by the Liberals. People in Canberra also understand that there is a very important principle at stake in relation to the ABC, and that is another reason why this Assembly should debate and support this motion today. We should seek to uphold that very important principle, which is held in our community, of the need for an independent, impartial public broadcaster.

The concentration of media ownership in Australia is one of the highest in the world. Our national media is dominated by powerful individuals, and this limited diversity extends beyond national media even to the ownership of local suburban papers and radio stations.

Mrs Carnell: Who let that happen?

MR CORBELL: The Chief Minister interjects, "Who let that happen?". Unfortunately, my party let it happen. I am very prepared to admit that, because I disagree. I disagree with what my party did. The point remains, nevertheless, that the diversity is limited, and moves to lessen diversity still further should be opposed. That is the principle I am talking about today. In this environment, the ability for all in our community to have access to an impartial and independent news and current affairs service and a local Australian programming content is very important; but that is exactly what this $55m cut now threatens.

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