Showing posts with label Liberal Party of Australia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Liberal Party of Australia. Show all posts

Sunday 19 July 2020

Menzies Research Centre evidence before parliamentary joint inquiry appears to be built on shifting sands


Liberal-National Party drone, the Menzies Research Centre, was the 66th individual or organisation to make a submission to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services’ Inquiry into the Litigation funding and the regulation of the class action industry.

 This submission was written by twenty-five year-old James Mathias (shown left), Chief of Staff at the Menzies Institute and unsuccessful Liberal candidate for the seat of Holt at the 2016 feferal election.

It would appear from the evidence Mathias gave to the Inquiry that he shares an office with the Liberal Party in Canberra.

Young James is definitely not a scholar and, typical of that peculiar breed of young Liberals, he made a a mess of the submission right from the opening lines.

On 13 July 2020 The Guardian report his appearance at the first public hearing of the Inquiry:

Mathias appeared on Monday before a parliamentary committee investigating whether Australia’s class action industry needs tighter regulation…

The first line of the submission from the MRC – the Liberal party thinktank – quoted the federal court justice Michael Lee as saying in a judgment on 5 June: “The phrase ‘access to justice’ is often misused by litigation funders to justify what at bottom is a commercial endeavour to make money out of the conduct of litigation.”

It was purportedly from a judgment on class actions stemming from allegations that the Australian defence department negligently allowed toxic chemicals known as Pfas to escape from defence bases and contaminate local environments.

But Mathias, who was just 21 when he ran as a federal candidate for the Victorian seat of Holt in 2016, confirmed under questioning he had “not read the full judgment” cited in the submission as “judgments are very long – some hundreds of pages”.

O’Neill said the judgment was actually 37 pages long and “the words you quote in the very first line of your submission are nowhere, nowhere to be found in his honour’s judgment”.

The NSW senator said the only place that quote could be found was in an article in the legal journal Lawyerly on 9 June, titled “‘A significant inequality of arms’: Funding led to better outcomes in PFAS class action, judge says”…..

In Lee’s judgment of 5 June, the judge made a more qualified statement that “the term ‘access to justice’ is commonly misused, most often by some funders who fasten upon it as an inapt rhetorical device”.

He then cautioned against generalisations. While noting “litigation funding is about putting in place a joint commercial enterprise aimed at making money”, Lee went on to say that recognising that reality “does not diminish the importance of litigation funding in allowing these class members to vindicate their claims against the commonwealth”.

Referring to the alleged victims in the Pfas class actions, Lee continued: “Without litigation funding, the claims of these group members would not have been litigated in an adversarial way but, rather, they would likely have been placed in the position of being supplicants requesting compensation, in circumstances where they would have been the subject of a significant inequality of arms….

When contacted for a response to the criticism of his submission, Mathias said it was “astonishing that the Guardian would be siding with foreign backed, super-profitable litigation funders just because it does not like the politics of the MRC”.

The 5 June 2020 judgement in question GAVIN SMITH et al v COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA (DEPARTMENT OF DEFENCE) can be found at https://www.judgments.fedcourt.gov.au/judgments/Judgments/fca/single/2020/2020fca0837

*James Mathias Snapshot found on Twitter

Saturday 11 July 2020

A little snatch of catchup


A few things of interest.....

Clarence Valley, NSW

* Much like the saplings in her hand, Hayley Talbot is hoping her idea to help local bushfire-affected areas will sprout and grow tall.

Ms Talbot, through her business Blanc Space, and project partner ex-professional surfer Daniel Ross have created the Caring for the Clarence project, in which 5000 trees will be planted to help rebuild the local koala population ravaged by bushfires.

Partnering with the NSW Government’s Save Our Species program to fund the initiative, Ms Talbot said she wanted to contribute to the area in a tangible way.

I wanted to do something that has some longevity, that would help us as a community and help our homeland heal,” she said.

While the effort to plant 5000 trees on private properties around the Mororo and Woombah area may seem like a mammoth task for a group reduced in numbers by COVID-19 restrictions, Ms Talbot said they worked at it one tree at a time.

I really feel like it’s been a great example of what any community member can do if they’re passionate and energetic,” she said.

Guided by conservation scientists and using trees of local provenance, the program used data from Google Earth combined with information on koala sightings to plant areas of use to sustain the population.

From there it was about engaging with local property owners because every tree we’ve planted has been on private land,” Ms Talbot said….. [The Daily Telegraph, 1 July 2020]

* Clarence Valley local government area now eligible for federal government drought support administered by St. Vincent de Paul until end of 2020. [Queensland Country Life, 2 July 2020]

One of the largest capital works programs ever seen in the Clarence has passed through council, and is set to provide a $70.6 million investment in local roads and infrastructure during this financial year.

At Clarence Valley Council’s June 23 meeting councillors voted to adopt the 2020-21 budget, paving the way for a significant economic boost to the region.

A significant capital works program totalling $70.6 million has been agreed for the 2020/21 financial year,” Clarence Valley Council’s general manager Ashley Lindsay said.

The key features are $22 million to road and bridge infrastructure projects and approximately $32 million allocated to open spaces, community facility and building projects.” Mr Lindsay said an additional $5.2 million will be generated from the final year of a three-year special rate variation which commenced 2018/2019.

The majority of these funds will be spent on roads and infrastructure asset renewals.

This is the final year of council’s four-year financial improvement plan adopted in June 2017, which lays the foundations for the long-term financial well being of the organisation, and the services, facilities and infrastructure it provides for the community,” he said…. [The Daily Telegraph, 3 July 2020]

COVID-19 Pandemic

* 44% of all those in residential aged care who caught COVID-19 and 9% of older people receiving care services in the home died as a result of this viral infection [Australian Dept. of Health, 5 July 2020]

* COVID-19 growth rate graph 


[ABC News, 9 July 2020]

Liberal Party Politics

* Finance Minister Mathias Cormann, the man who revived Arnold Schwarzenegger’s “economic girly man’’ insult in the Australian political lexicon and privately called Scott Morrison “narcissistic” is set to quit politics sparking a cabinet reshuffle.

Australia’s longest serving Finance Minister has denied growing speculation he will quit politics for months, but has responded with notable silence to three reports in the last month that he plans to resign.

But his departure also is set to remind voters of the ongoing leadership fallout within the Coalition over the ascension of Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his increasing popularity, dominance and control of the government in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last month, there was even speculation that he might return to Europe in a diplomatic posting for the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

But the Belgian-born Liberal senator told friends he is more attracted to making some money in the corporate sector. [News.com.au, 3 July 2020]

* By the end of this year we will be half-way through this current term of government.

Having decided not to recontest the next election, I can confirm that I have advised the Prime Minister that the end of this year would be an appropriate time for an orderly transition in my portfolio. [Australian Finance Minister Mathias Cormann, Statement, 4 July 2020]

* THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: It's only taken PM Scott Morrison a little over 23 months to quietly push Dutton-supporter Mathias Cormann out of the Australian Parliament. Who is next? [@no_filter-Yamba, 5 July 2020]

* The NSW Liberal Party has appointed a former ICAC executive to investigate claims the minutes of the local branch of Prime Minister’s right-hand man Alex Hawke were doctored to secure his power base.

In the most significant development since the scandal was first revealed by News Corp almost two years ago, the party office has confirmed in an email sent to affected branch members on Friday that it has enlisted the former head of the corruption watchdog’s investigations unit, Michael Symons, to head up the internal inquiry.

Liberal MP Alex Hawke. Picture: Kym Smith
The party head office has been in internal turmoil since being made aware of allegations that Mr Hawke’s factionally-aligned heads of the Baulkham Hills branch in his electorate of Mitchell changed the minutes to block the memberships of 10 new conservative members.

Had the new members been recorded accurately at the meeting — held in a western Sydney funeral home — Mr Hawke’s Centre Right faction would have lost control of the branch, potentially putting his preselection in jeopardy.

Control of branches is critical in influencing Federal, State and local government preselections. At a State level, the Baulkham Hills branch is critical for NSW Police Minister David Elliott. [The Daily Telegraph, 5 July 2020]

Eden-Monaro Federal By-election

* At 7:30pm on Saturday 4 July 2020, when First Preference vote counting ceased for the night in the NSW Eden-Monaro federal electorate, it was apparent that an est. 62,22% of voters were not having a bar of Scott Morrison & his hard right Lib-Nats government. [Australian Electoral Commission, 4 July 2020]

At the same time in bushfire ravaged little Cobargo at least 59.68% of local voters refused to give the Morrison Government candidate their First Preference vote.

Even after they appear to have been not so subtly threatened:

the residents of Cobargo – the centre of a tragedy in January – swung to the Liberals on Saturday night. Perhaps this is a bushfire effect in the sense locals accepted the government’s core message during the campaign: the fire clean up will move much faster if you send Fiona Kotvojs to Canberra, rather than a member of the opposition. [The Guardian, 5 July 2020]

* By early Sunday evening 61.71% of all voters in Eden-Monaro who cast a formal vote had refused to give the Morrison Government’s candidate their First Preference vote. So the inevitable happened…..

Research economist discovers ‘Scotty From Marketing’ Morrison’s economic playbook

So, a short recession’s not enough. You want to create a prolonged depression, right?

Perhaps you run businesses that specialise in disaster capitalism. Maybe you want to suckle at the teat of a dying fossil fuel industry for a little longer. It could be that you miss the social division and inequality of the Victorian era. Maybe you’re just a jerk.

Whatever your motivations, this guide will take you through the basic steps of pushing an already struggling economy into a full-blown crisis…

Read the full article here. [The New Daily, 5 July 2020]

About endangered flying foxes


Protecting the Orange Roughy

The orange roughy fishery, which some have dubbed the "posterchild of fishery mismanagement", has been the subject of debate since the 1990s when stocks collapsed after just 20 years of commercial fishing.

It's a fish that can live for more than 140 years and can't breed until around 30 — and conservationists say its unusual biology should make it off-limits to commercial fishing.

But industry groups say they've learnt from past mistakes and can harvest orange roughy sustainably.

Now, acting on behalf of an Australian trawl-fishing interest group, US-based consultancy MRAG Americas Inc has recommended the fishery be given sustainability status.

The consultancy handed down its recommendation last week to MSC, an international non-government organisation that certifies the sustainability of fisheries based on the sustainability of the exploited fish stocks, maintenance of the fishery ecosystem, and responsible management.

Objections were raised by the Australian Marine Conservation Society and conservation group WWF but were dismissed on a technicality, according to AMCS spokesperson Adrian Meder.

Mr Meder said the report contains a number of flaws that show a lack of understanding of the biology of the species and fishery.

"It's the shonkiest piece of greenwashing I think I've seen in my entire career. It gets the basics wrong on so many levels," Mr Meder said…..

Orange roughy facts
  • Researchers have caught orange roughy up to 149 years of age, making them one of the longest-lived fish species. It's estimated that individuals may live up to 200 years.
  • They don't reach sexual maturity until around 30 years of age and by fish standards, don't produce a lot of offspring.
  • Orange roughy live between 700 metres and 1500 metres deep. They roam across seabeds but congregate on underwater shelves and seamounts to breed, meaning they can be easily caught in large numbers.
  • The fish are caught by bottom trawling, usually across seamounts.
  • They live in cold water, and in Australia are mostly found off Tasmania, Victoria and the Great Australian Bight.
  • Commercial fishing for orange roughy began in earnest in the 1970s, with the biggest extractions taking place in New Zealand waters followed by Australia.
  • They're also found in the waters of Namibia, Chile, in the Atlantic and south Indian Ocean, however stock data is limited in many of these places.
  • The flesh is pearly white and delicate. [ABC News, 5 July 2020]
Just for the nostalgia



Year 1987
George Harrison: Voice & Guitar
Eric Clapton: Guitar (a Les Paul)
Jeff Lyne: Guitar
Phil Collins: Drums
Ringo Starr: Drums
Ray Cooper: Percussion
Mark King: Bass
Elton John: Piano
Jool Holland: Piano

Pauline Hanson, One Nation’s Racist-In-Chief

Pauline Hanson labelled residents in the nine public housing estate towers "drug addicts" and "alcoholics" who can't speak English, in an interview this morning on Channel Nine's Today Show.

After widespread backlash across the morning, Channel Nine released a statement to announce that Hanson won't be joining the Today Show in the future…..
[SBS News, 6 July 2020]

Rex Regional Express Airine

The more than a little petty and spiteful, Messrs. Lim Kim Hai, John Sharp, Lee Thian Soo, Neville Howell, Chris Hine, James Davis and Ronald Bartsch remain firm in their refusal to continue to fly Rex Express small passenger jets into Grafton Airport in the Clarence Valley.
Leaving the valley without an airline service.

IMAGERex Regional Express revised air routes

Australian Prime Minister and Liberal MP for Cook Scott Morrison uses the old excuse that 'Jen & the girls deserve a break' to bolt out the backdoor once again

* It appears that 'Scotty From Marketing' has been away on holidays for most of the last six days and intends to keep holidaying for another six to seven days.

IMAGE: Found on Twitter

* "As you know, it is a school holidays and Jenny and the girls will be taking some time on the outskirts of Sydney....We have technology where I can be with them and continue to take briefings, calls and meetings in dealing with the situation whether it be Victoria or the other situations in the country. "As a dad, I will take some time but at the same time I can assure you we will remain absolutely focused on the things we need to focus on next week."  [9 News, 10 July 2020]



Friday 3 July 2020

Has our dream run over the coronavirus pandemic has come to a sticky end?


Echo NetDaily, June 2020:

Thus Spake Mungo: ahh the Spike


Australia awoke last week to the strains of Spike Milligan’s poignant refrain, ‘I’m walking backwards to Christmas.
It may not be all the way to Christmas, but it could be even further – well into next year, and perhaps beyond that. We don’t know and we can’t tell.
But it is sadly clear that our dream run over the coronavirus pandemic has come to a sticky end. And it has happened on both fronts, the medical and the economic. The cluster of hot spots that emerged from Victoria does not yet constitute the dreaded second wave, but it is worrying, and defies explanation.
For readers of The Australian, of course, it is all too simple: Daniel Andrews unleashed the beast by not clamping down on the Black Lives Matter protests. But hang on – there were protests in other states as well, without clusters emerging, And in any case, not one of the cases in Victoria can be traced to the demonstrations.
So perhaps the problem was that Andrews mismanaged the Cedar Bay abattoir outbreak? Or ignored communicating COVID-19 information to the ethnic communities? One way or another, we have to blame the socialist totalitarian for something.
But apart from the partisan bullshit, the fact that there are clusters at all must serve as a warning, because across other parts, around the world, COVID19 is still raging. It is out of control in Brazil, spreading dangerously in India, working its way through the southern United States and, most disturbingly, making huge inroads in parts of China, where it was thought to have been tamed......
And for the government, the worse news is that the easing of restrictions has not just stalled, but has been reversed in some areas, notably the urgency of opening state boundaries.And despite the predictions of the optimists, we are not yet in reach of a vaccine. This is not good news.
It appears that we are reverting to the old maxim: think globally, act locally. The national cabinet was never much more national than our mish-mash federation, or the constitution that birthed it; it was a useful conceit and helped us muddle through the early emergency, but it was always gesture politics rather than reality....
And now the premiers have declared that it is every state for itself. Some are derestricting like mad, others are more cautious, playing for time. And of course Victoria has gone backwards – even toilet paper is back on the rationing list. This is serious, folks......
And it appears that the other premiers are less than sympathetic. In NSW, Gladys Berejiklian has made it clear that Victorian holidaymakers will not be welcome in her pristine domain – in fact, she has bluntly told them to bugger off.
Australia is still doing fairly well by world standards. Moody’s rating agency and the International Monetary Fund have both offered commendation, ticking us off as one of the best in a fairly miserable bunch.
But the IMF have warned that shutting down the stimulus measures designed to dampen unemployment too abruptly could lead to awful consequences – it has urged caution; a gradual easing, rather than a sudden shut off.
Morrison and Josh Frydenberg seem, reluctantly, to be getting the message. The strictly temporary JobKeeker program, scheduled to end in September, may have to be extended, at least for the most vulnerable sectors of the economy.
And some extra spending is being rolled out; the beleaguered arts are finally getting a boost, although a very minor one, and in the wake of the Qantas stand down, assistance for the airline industry is on the table.
And Morrison is hell-bent on ramping up the nation for business – whatever the consequences. ‘We can’t go “stop, go, stop, go”, we can’t flick the light on and off,’ he insisted, blithely ignoring the fact that this is precisely what he is planning to do with JobKeeker. ‘We’ve got to just keep the focus on keeping the economy open and getting people back into jobs.’ And there is absolutely no need for anxiety about the Victorian outbreak, because ‘we were expecting it.’ Perhaps he was – the rest of us were somewhat taken aback. 
But it is still all about industry and business. Individuals – casual workers in particular – are not considered essential. And of course enemies are still to be punished. The universities, and most of all the ABC, have been singled out for clobbering. Some of us are in this together more than others.
But it’s time to forget about the health crisis – so 2019-2020, We need a new narrative to turn the page into the new financial year. It’s the economy, stupid – and we do mean stupid. Back to Spike Milligan. As the Great Goon might have warbled:
I’ve tried walking backwards
And walking to the front
But all the people stare at me
And ask: who is that silly…’
Yes, quite so. Moving right along…

Tuesday 30 June 2020

Murdoch has managed to deprive NSW Northern Rivers region of most of its local print newspapers & now Morrison is attacking our most reliable news source, the ABC


The Age, 25 June 2020: 

ABC chairwoman Ita Buttrose has lashed out at Communications Minister Paul Fletcher over the Morrison government's handling of its multimillion-dollar budget cuts and accused him of lying about the national broadcaster's efforts to collaborate with SBS. 

In a fresh war of words between the taxpayer-funded broadcaster and the Coalition government, Ms Buttrose has accused Mr Fletcher of twice failing to provide the ABC board and management with the critical data that informed an independent report proposing the closure of two broadcast channels and the sharing of back-office and support services with fellow public broadcaster SBS. 

Ms Buttrose has also said the government misrepresented the ABC's efforts to work closer with SBS. In a strongly-worded letter to Mr Fletcher, seen by The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, Ms Buttrose said the ABC's board had asked her to "convey its concerns" about Mr Fletcher's lack of response to correspondence between the pair in September last year. 

"We raised a number of issues but were particularly interested in seeing 'the information - data, models and assumptions - which formed the basis for the savings estimates provided in the report'," Ms Buttrose wrote. "I appreciate you have a busy schedule but we would appreciate an answer to our queries." 

Ms Buttrose said several media reports, which ABC management believes were informed by Mr Fletcher, had suggested the ABC "had neglected to 'collaborate more closely with SBS'". 

"This is incorrect," Ms Buttrose wrote. "David Anderson has had several conversations with SBS about sharing costs". 

A Peter Tonagh-led review of the public broadcasters was handed to the Morrison government in March last year, but its details were kept confidential as the ABC developed plans to cut costs. Some recommendations - such as an increased focus on digital growth, improving the ABC's iview platform and reducing investment in products that are not central to the ABC charter - were effectively adopted in the plan announced yesterday, but an ABC spokesman said that if all had been implemented there would have been more cuts. 

In the September correspondence between the pair, Ms Buttrose said the board said several proposals in the review "lack enough detail to allow an evaluation of whether the suggested savings can be realised". 

"In some cases, the savings estimates are presented in aggregate for the two national broadcasters and it is unclear what proportion of them has been attributed to the ABC, rather than SBS," she said. 

In particular, the review estimates that the national broadcasters could together save "a minimum of $45 million" by reducing multichannel services and "between $80 million and $115 million per annum" through focusing expenditure on what it characterises as "core" activities and a greater focus on digital delivery. 

"However, it provides no information as to how these figures were derived or the proportions attributed to the ABC," she said. Sources said Ms Buttrose had also raised the issue with Mr Fletcher at a face-to-face meeting between the pair at ABC's Ultimo headquarters on Tuesday. 

Mr Fletcher and Prime Minister Scott Morrison staunchly defended the level of funding provided to the ABC, insisting the government has not cut its budget, and backed the national broadcaster's efforts to be more focused on regional and suburban Australia. "There are no cuts ... the ABC's funding is increasing every year," Mr Morrison said on Thursday. "The ABC would be the only media company or organisation in Australia today whose revenue, their funding, is increasing. It would be the only one in the country. We are seeing regional mastheads by commercial newspapers abolished." 

The ABC announced a range of cuts on Wednesday, including 250 job losses and the end of the 7.45am radio news bulletin, in a bid to save $40 million until 2022. Managing director David Anderson also announced plans to cut poor-performing content, reduce episodes of Australian Story and Foreign Correspondent and lease space at the ABC's Sydney headquarters in Ultimo. The measures triggered a wave of criticism about the funding squeeze imposed on the broadcaster by the Coalition in recent federal budgets.

ABC News, 27 June 2020: 

The ABC put forward two separate proposals offering to open more regional Australian studios, expand its coverage of remote communities and hire more journalists in rural areas in return for the federal government dumping its decision to freeze annual funding indexation. 

Correspondence between ABC managing director David Anderson and Communications Minister Paul Fletcher and seen by The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, show the national broadcaster was prepared to invest tens of millions of dollars more outside capital city centres if the Morrison government was prepared to reverse its budget cuts. 

In a proposal made after the Black Summer bushfires in January, ABC management told Mr Fletcher the national broadcaster would be able to find $10 million a year to employ more regional journalists if indexation was restored

Mr Anderson's letter, sent to Mr Fletcher on January 24, said he was writing to ask the government to consider a reversal of the indexation pause, which is expected to cost the broadcaster up to $84 million over three years, to safeguard the future sustainability of the ABC. 

"If indexation was restored, combined with savings and efficiencies that the ABC has identified in recent months, the Corporation would be in a position to commit an additional investment of up to $10 million per annum to employ more journalists in regional Australia and generate more content from regions for the local and national stories," Mr Anderson wrote. 

Several government sources have confirmed Mr Fletcher did not reply to the letter, nor did he discuss the proposal with the ABC or his National Party colleagues, who have constantly raised concerns over the future of regional media outlets, following a spate of natural disasters including last summer's fires.... [my yellow highting]

The Saturday Paper, 27 June 2020: 

Two days before the ABC confirmed that up to 250 jobs will be cut across the organisation, the federal government finalised a $200,000 offer for consultants to prepare a report on news and media business models looking specifically at the impact of public broadcasters “on commercial operators”. 

An approach to market for the report was closed on Monday, with the federal Communications Department under minister Paul Fletcher requesting the successful bidder evaluate failed, successful and emerging news media operating models from around the world. 

As it happens, a key requirement of the research, due before the end of August, is also a hobby horse of the ABC’s commercial rivals. 

The tender asks consultants to examine “the role of publicly-funded (non-commercial) media organisations in the production and dissemination of news and media content in the comparable jurisdictions, and the impacts and interactions of publicly-funded entities with commercial operators”. 

This is the argument News Corp makes against the ABC: that it is cutting into the audiences of commercial enterprises such as Rupert Murdoch’s newspapers, websites and pay television business. 

“The report will be used as an input to inform policy advice and decision-making in relation to the news and media sectors. The end-users of the report include Commonwealth officials, relevant Ministers, and their staff,” the tender documents say. 

“The report is not intended for public release.”......

BACKGROUND

ABC News, 26 June 2029: 

The ABC has not only helped shape Australia, we are the national voice that unites us. 

It’s about democracy. Without the ABC we would have a balkanised and parochial bunch of broadcasters that are in danger of being compromised by profit and more intent on dividing than unifying. 

Imagine what it would be like during the bushfire season if we had to rely only on state-based or even regionally based media outlets. When we are in the middle of bushfires, don’t we want to know that they are being covered by a knowledgeable and experienced network of journalists with all the supporting infrastructure of a large national network? 

The ABC, funded by all of us, regardless of our creed – race, age, political beliefs – is us. It’s the way we build cross-cultural understanding, the way we help each other in times of need. It’s who we are collectively. Why would anyone want to diminish that and make us less than who we are? 

This has been a devastating week for the ABC. With unemployment at an all-time high to have to inform up to 250 people they no longer had a job has been an incredibly difficult task. 

Cuts to services caused by the ongoing reduction in our budget forced this action upon us and although we knew what had to be done, our hearts were with our employees. 

Let me clarify the cuts because there seems to be some confusion in Government circles about them. The 2018 Budget papers clearly state that the Government’s savings measures reduce funding to the ABC by $14.623 million in 2019-20, $27.842 million in 2020-21, and $41.284 million in 2021-22. This reduction totals $83.75 million on our operational base. 

It is true that over the three years the ABC budget does still increase but by a reduced amount, due to indexation on the fixed cost of transmission and distribution services. Previously, it was rising by a further $83.75 million over the same three years for indexation on our operational base. This is the funding that has been cut and considered a saving by the government. 

These funding cuts are unsustainable if we are to provide the media services that Australians expect of us. Indexation must be renewed. 

The strength of the ABC and its relationship with the nation comes from the very people who work for us. They are passionate about public broadcasting and are prepared to work for less than they would be paid by commercial media to deliver it. The creativity in the programs they produce, the dogged and independent journalism they pursue and the connection with communities everywhere they provide through conversations is at the very heart of what the ABC delivers to our audiences. 

The ABC has a statutory requirement to operate as efficiently as possible. We have a strong track record in identifying savings and reinvesting them in services. This is how we created ABC News 24, ABC iview and a range of packages to boost services in rural and regional Australia. 

There is no other authority better placed to manage the ABC than the ABC itself. We know our business and we are determined to honour our commitment to independence. All Australians expect this of us just as they expect the Government to provide the appropriate funds to allow us to do so. 

The ABC is essential in generating and preserving Australia’s democratic culture. An independent, well-funded national broadcaster allows Australians, wherever they live, to connect. It is how we share our identity, how we tell our stories, how we listen to each other, how we ask for help and how we give it. 

 Ita Buttrose AC OBE 
 ABC Chair