ABC Friends Bendigo

13/10/2025

Petition your local MPs and State Senators. Tell them you support Australia having a Human Rights Act.

There’s 1300 followers here. If everyone took time to write an email or two, it would have an impact.

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1228151452689023&set=a.479748117529364

NEW REPORT: An Australian Human Rights Act would make our lives better by putting human rights at the heart of laws and government decisions.

Our new report, Legislating Human Rights Acts from Whitlam to Now, shows that we’re the closest in 40+ years to an Australian Human Rights Act. Support for a Human Rights Act remains high and unwavering over 50 years, now is the time for the Albanese Government to take a historic step forward for human rights in Australia.

Read the report at: https://www.humanrightsact.org.au/news-events/legislating-human-rights-acts-report

26/09/2025

ABC Friends' e-newsletter is out for this month, highlighting the latest news, events and dates to note down. Be sure to check out the 'What's On' page for future events held or attended by ABC Friends.

ABC Friends Victoria conducts its business on the Country of the Wurundjeri People of the Kulin Nation, over which sovereignty was never ceded. We acknowledge their custodianship and pay our respects to Elders, past, present and emerging.

26/09/2025

Youth media leader Leo Puglisi challenges the under-16 social media ban, warning it could silence young voices and stifle innovation.

Australian teenagers have grown up on YouTube and admit it can be harmful, but some say the government's blanket ban will do little to address the problems.

24/08/2025

Former ABC Reporter, Michael Brissenden, book launch
Friday 05/09/25, 2.30pm Ballarat Library.

The former ABC journalist and foreign correspondent will talk about his writing inspirations and the real-world issues that shape his storytelling.

The Ballarat Library is working with ABC Friends Ballarat and ABC Alumni to run a series of events in 2026 to review and celebrate the 50th anniversary of ABC Friends.

26/07/2025

'Segal’s thoughts about “Advance” and her husband’s $50,000 donation matter. Segal’s desire to monitor the ABC and SBS and to strip funds from them if they are found to have allowed antisemitic content onto their programs is consistent with one of the most conspicuous perennial demands of the mainstream far right in Australia, the attack on the ABC.'

'I am a devoted listener to the most politically sophisticated arm of the ABC, Radio National. In several years I have not even once encountered a program that could even remotely be regarded as antisemitic.'
- Robert Manne 2025

Several excellent critiques of Jillian Segal’s “Special Envoy’s Plan to Combat Antisemitism” have appeared, by Louise Adler (The Guardian), Henry Reynolds (Pearls and Irritations), Nick Feik (Substack), Guy Rundle (Substack) and Jeffrey Loewenstein (Pearls and Irritations). I would like to a...

22/05/2025

"The ABC is Australia's national broadcaster. It is owned and paid for by all Australian people and works for our benefit."

"It is independent of governments and businesses and has consistently been shown to be the most trusted and truthful media outlet in the country."
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Victorian ABC Friends have an e-newsletter! Want to sign up for new articles and opinion pieces on the ABC, public broadcasting and the Australian media monthly? Visit the website: https://www.abcfriendsvic.org.au/ and sign up on the right-hand side of the home page.

The ABC is Australia's national broadcaster. It is owned and paid for by all Australian people and works for our benefit.

22/05/2025

"In mid 2024, ABC Friends began planning our campaign for the federal election. So – why campaign and what did we achieve?"

Support the ABC - uphold media freedom

22/05/2025

The ABC's role in preserving democracy is more important than ever.

https://www.facebook.com/reel/2390665084622668

12/04/2025

A Rally to support a strong, independent and publicly-funded ABC will be held in Sydney tomorrow.

When: 11am-1pm AEST, Sunday 13 April 2025
Where: NSW Teachers’ Federation Auditorium, 37 Reservoir Street, Surry Hills, NSW.

The event will also be live-streamed via Facebook at 11am AEST on 13 April 2025.

"Australia needs a bold public broadcaster that presents quality news and original Australian content."

11/04/2025

"When we’re considering how to vote, it would be useful to know how supportive of the ABC our federal candidates will be if elected, wouldn’t it?"

The Open Australia Foundation, a non-partisan, not for profit organisation (like ABC Friends), has created an open-source website called “TheyVoteForYou” that summarises how politicians have voted on a range of issues over the years since 2006.

Our regular correspondent, Marcus May looks at how Parliament has voted on the ABC in the past, as an indication of their future attitudes.

09/04/2025

Message from Kerry O’Brien

The ABC has always been there for us as a part of that bedrock. We’ve seen it attacked time and again, particularly since the Howard years, but although it’s been knocked around, and suffered savage funding cuts it’s always emerged to repair and rebuild.

In these crazy times we can’t assume that any more. In Trump’s America we’re watching an unprecedented savage assault on mainstream media including public broadcasting, along with the judicial system and other democratic institutions.

In our country, when the role of strong public broadcasting in this age of misinformation and political manipulation is demonstrably more important than at any other time in our history, the ABC is under attack again. We can no longer make any assumptions about its long-term survival.

The ABC has never been able to count on bi-partisan political support, and those conservatives who irrationally see the ABC as their enemy are lining up again. There’s talk of more “efficiency” inquiries and more funding cuts. Again. And the Murdoch media is also on the attack in lockstep. Again.

That’s why we’re launching our biggest grassroots campaign of support in ABC history, targeting key election battlegrounds, putting the pressure on all political candidates to declare their position on the ABC.

The election is now in full swing. The clock is ticking. Your donation today will help protect and preserve Australia’s most trusted public institution. I cannot imagine Australia without the ABC. Your practical support right now will help guarantee that the unthinkable doesn’t happen here.

Support the ABC - uphold media freedom

03/04/2025

ABC chair Kim Williams has pushed for funding certainty for the national broadcaster in a speech in Melbourne.

In a wide-ranging address, the ABC chair also took aim at Donald Trump, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos over their "interference" with press freedom.

Kim Williams AM, Chair of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, will Address the National Press Club of Australia.Subscribe: http://ab.co/1svxLVEABC News ...