ABC Friends Bendigo

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 ...

03/04/2025

In total, there have been 15 reviews of the ABC’s efficiency since 2001.

ABC chair, Kim Williams says funding remains “extremely low by historical standards”, now just 0.12 per cent of the federal budget, compared with 0.31 per cent in 2000.

Stay informed and entertained with ABC Australia. Access live events, news, audio and on-demand video streaming from the nation's most trusted broadcaster.

03/04/2025

'A defiant Kim Williams said he was under no illusions and expected a funding review and potential cuts to the ABC under a Coalition government, saying he was ready to defend the broadcaster’s efficiency, declaring it was “game on”.' - The Age - 3 April 2025

Any efficiency audit under a Coalition government would be the 16th since 2001. Its chair tells Peter Dutton to bring it on.

03/04/2025

"Dutton refuses to rule out ABC cuts and repeatedly declines meeting with chair Kim Williams." - The Guardian, 2 April 2025

Opposition leader still won’t say which jobs will be cut in plan to slash 41,000 public sector positions

01/04/2025

There will be a lot of misinformation about the ABC during this election campaign, so let’s get the facts out there first:

* The ABC is Australia’s only truly nation-wide broadcaster
* It is publicly funded and free of commercial ads
* The ABC is an independent public service
* It has a new Board, Chair and MD
* It does its best to be accurate and impartial
* The ABC is highly valued but still underfunded

Vote for candidates who believe in and support the ABC.

ABC Friends believe our ABC is an essential service that must be adequately funded, and independent from government interference. We must save the ABC!

17/03/2025

Will you take action to protect our ABC ?

An urgent message from Jonathan Holmes and Cassandra Parkinson.

As the 2025 federal election approaches, the ABC is once again under attack.

Just three weeks ago, NewsCorp unleashed a coordinated attack against the ABC across its newspapers, Sky News broadcasts, and social media channels. ABC Chair Kim Williams called it "inaccurate, unbalanced and agenda-driven" - and that's putting it politely.

This isn't just another media spat - it's the opening move in a calculated campaign to dismantle Australia's most trusted institution.

Why? A small but powerful coalition of NewsCorp commentators, the Institute of Public Affairs, and certain Coalition members have long sought to slash ABC funding, introduce subscription fees and advertising, reduce the ABC to a skeletal "basic" service and, ultimately, privatise our public broadcaster.

The devastating impacts of those efforts are visible today. Between 2014 and 2022, funding cuts decimated jobs, slashed programs, and stripped away services. Original Australian non-news content on the ABC’s main channel is down by 41% since 2013, and hundreds of experienced journalists and creators have been lost.

Despite recent funding increases, the ABC's funding shortfall is a devastating $150 million each year.

In this era of rampant misinformation and declining trust in democratic institutions, we cannot afford to lose the ABC's independent voice. Look to America, where Voice of America is being dismantled - a chilling preview of what could happen here without your action.

The ABC isn't just a media company - it's our national voice in emergencies, our trusted news source, and the storyteller of our Australian identity.

This election is a crucial moment. We must ensure that all politicians and candidates commit to securing a fully funded and independent ABC – one that continues to serve the public, free from external pressures.

Your signature today could save the ABC tomorrow.

Every voice matters. Will you stand up for the ABC before it's too late?

We call on all members of Parliament and candidates for office to to support a fully funded and independent ABC.

09/02/2025

The ABC isn’t just another perceived wastrel on the government teat. It’s part of Oz culture. Is it safe if the government changes?

26/11/2024

ABC Friends Victoria is preparing to run a campaign in the next federal election, to encourage voters to choose candidates who support the ABC.

23/11/2024

A critique of ABC News & Current Affairs.

The biggest threat to the ABC today is its craven and distorted performance in television current affairs reporting.