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Byron Shire
March 22, 2023

ABC Slashes & Burns! (Much worse than mere cuts…)

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Doug Foskey, Tregeagle

As one of Scomo’s quiet (but extremely concerned) Australians, who loves sitting on my verandah listening to my ABC 7.45am news, I am appalled that the government can cut funding even further for our already stretched ABC.

The ABC was one of the only ways that people knew what was happening in their area during the recent bushfires.

It seems that rural areas are not important enough to be immune from the funding cuts. We are now moving into a time (according to our Weather Bureau) of heightened wet weather, so at a greater risk of flood.

As quiet rural residents, we really need a properly funded ABC to assist us with rural news and rural programming, as well as being a reassuring voice during times of calamity. It seems, as rural quiet residents we can no longer rely on privately funded organisations (both radio and print) being available to fill any gap left by the depleted ABC.

So, my dear Federal government, there are even more Coalition seats in jeopardy next election – owing to your short sighted vision of what Australia really needs or wants. This is definitely one area of rural jobs that can be fixed, but not at the cost of other jobs in capital cities (because that support is also needed). Even less is the harebrained idea of moving the ABC from Sydney all the way to the Western Suburbs: this is a cost not required.

Please, Mr Morrison, fund the ABC adequately to perform the job of a reliable disseminator of information. Remember during the fires many Australians could not access the internet owing to infrastructure failures. AM/FM and TV are really important in these times.

A disappointed voter.


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4 COMMENTS

  1. You seem like a very normal Australian bloke whose only crime was exercising a poor judgement call at the last Federal election Doug, but really you shouldn’t be surprised, you got exactly what you voted for. If you didn’t see this wanton destruction of our much-loved ABC. coming you should have; the Coalition has been on a mission of destruction here ever-since the downfall of the Howard Govt. They mostly blame the ABC. for that demise, but they brought themselves down when they used their brief control of the Senate to attack Australian workers with “workchoices”. Gina Reinhardt who is the Coalition’s biggest donor has been demanding the breakup and selling of the ABC. for many years now and if the Coalition remain in power for much longer, they will bite the bullet and do it. Could I offer some advice Doug, when the next Federal election is due, maybe you could have a serious re-think as to who you give your first preference vote to. And in the mean time you, and as many of your friends as possible, could inundate Kevin Hogan’s office with an avalanche of emails demanding that the Nationals stop kow-towing to the Liberals, get off their arses and put an immediate stop to this ideological insanity. Myself and many of my friends and associates have already done exactly this.

  2. Unfortunately, the news is not always new, or real.
    So, maybe with less to spend, the ABC might cut out some of the mind-manipulating propaganda-feed and the repeated old news. Do we really need to hear a dozen times a day or more about a football team beating another football team? There are much more interesting things going on in the world. Not every Australian has an obsessive compulsive disorder about football. Neither do we need leading up the garden path with carefully selected bits of misinformation. managed by God only knows who.
    Let’s have as they say in court, the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth. And cut out the drivel.
    That shouldn’t cost too much.

  3. John…….. I’m watching & listening to the ABC off
    & on – night & day while working. It’s quite
    amusing to learn that you feel the small amount
    of news is old news or not real? Mind propaganda
    plus dozens of football covers? Seeing as how I
    can’t be bothered with football I’d be the first to
    make it known that the ABC’s addicted to it. I’m
    also wondering if you’ve got Aunty confused
    with Social Media raves? Misinformation is fed
    to fools by streams of drivel. On re-reading your
    very strange comments including the cost of
    running anything I’d say you know bugger all.
    Have a nice day.

  4. Hi Stefanie
    I didn’t say all ABC news is old or not real. I said, ‘the news is not always new, or real’
    Your deliberate misreading is a common rhetorical ploy, but invalidates the rest of your abuse

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