Page 2999 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 15 August 2018
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side of the chamber, Labor members are friends of the ABC and we will fight to defend it, not defund it.
MS CODY (Murrumbidgee) (5.04): I can assure Mr Steel, the ACT Assembly and the Canberra community that I have never, will never, and would never vote for cuts to the ABC or cower in the corner whilst others do so. I would not do it here. I would not do it in a party forum. I just would not do it. I would not cut the Bananas. I would not cut the classical music. I would not cut Triple J or Double J. I would not cut the footy commentary—any code. I would not cut the journalists who point out more effectively than anyone else when we are getting it wrong. I really would not cut the journalists who point out when the opposition are getting it wrong. I would not cut the talkback. I would not cut the website. I would not cut the incubator of the thousands of careers. I would not cut the ABC. I would not stand by while people were trying to cut the ABC. I would not be that sort of coward—ever.
MR PETTERSSON (Yerrabi) (5.05): The ABC is a vital and well-respected public institution. The ABC performs a vital public good that benefits all Australians. Like most Australians of a certain age, I grew up watching Play School, Sesame Street and Bananas in Pyjamas. Today the ABC remains my most trusted source of information and entertainment.
In Canberra the ABC contributes to the economic and cultural wellbeing of our city. We should all view the ABC as ours; it is owned by every Australian. Every member of this place should support the ABC and the local Canberrans who work there. The wider community benefit from its numerous radio and television programs.
The benefits of the ABC cannot be overstated. The ABC’s wide range of programs provide information access to people that the privately owned corporations never would. The ABC’s local radio and television broadcasts provide people with information content relevant to their region. This is particularly important for remote and regional Australians. We on this side will not let the neoliberal agenda of corporate interests leave regional Australians without their news.
In Canberra, our national cultural institutions work with the ABC to provide content for national audiences. The ABC delivers local, unique stories that would not get the air time on commercial television or radio.
ABC news on both television and radio provides the most balanced and informative local, national and international news. Commercial news stations act in the best interests of corporate entities. For local news in particular, only the public funding model allows these stories to be told. Australians know this; Canberrans know this. That is why the ABC is by far the most trusted news source in Australia.
Unfortunately, as we see every time the right-wing Liberal Party is in power, they attack the ABC. Federal Liberals fundamentally do not believe in the public good. If they had it their way, it is clear they would privatise the ABC. At a recent Liberal Party conference, we saw the Liberal Party voting overwhelmingly to privatise the ABC. This is deeply out of step with what Australians and Canberrans believe.
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