Federal Election 2025
ABC Friends National Federal Election Committee has developed a platform to take to the upcoming election.
Section 1 Sets out our position regarding the future of the ABC.
These demands are not new, they reflect our long held position regarding funding and independence of the ABC.
They are not extrordinary as they mearly reflect what is required for the ABC to fulfill its obligations under the Charter developed in 1987.
Section 2 Provides a list of carefully thought through questions which should be used when speaking directly with candidates.
Section 3 Provides a list of questions which can be used when address a political party’s policy position regarding the ABC
Please Note
When using this material, please stay strictly with our position as described in the material.
It is important that our messaging is consistent all around the country
Section 1 – Our Platform
1. Restore funding for a fearless independent ABC
Restore ABC funding by $140 million per year to be phased in progressively over a 3-year period commencing in 2026.
Australia needs a bold investment in our public broadcaster to guarantee its future as a fearless presenter of quality news and original Australian content.
- A renewed, vital ABC supporting quality and creativity
- An agile, flexible ABC that’s willing to take risks
An investment in the ABC is an investment in Australia’s future as a creative, innovative nation.
It’s an investment in our democracy. An investment in our national identity.
2. Keep the ABC free
Guarantee that the ABC remains free-to-access for all Australians: no ads, no subscriptions and no downgrading of services.
High costs of living are hurting Australians. Going to a show has become a luxury and subscriptions for streamers like Netflix are becoming unaffordable.
In these tough times, there’s only one service that’s free with no ads and no subscriptions: the ABC. But there’s no guarantee for the future.
We need a national public broadcaster that reflects who we are, that tells our stories, that competes with the best in the world.
And it must be free and accessible for all Australians.
3. Emergency Services -A lifeline in times of crisis
Fully fund the ABC’s emergency service through a supplementary fund dedicated to keeping Australians safe in times of crisis.
The ABC’s emergency service is funded through its operating grant. The costs of providing emergency service broadcasts have skyrocketed in recent years as the number of climate crises has increased. At the same time, the ABC’s operating grant has been slashed.
When the ABC’s emergency broadcasting service was delivered in 2011, the emergency division operated for around six months of the year. It now runs year-round.
In 2017-2018 the ABC handled around 251 emergency broadcasts. In 2023-24 that number rose to 659 – and it continues to rise.
It is unrealistic to expect the ABC to offer this essential service without proper funding.
We need a supplementary fund, indexed annually to the number of active climate events, to meet the full costs of the ABC’s emergency service. We must guarantee that all Australians can receive this vital service – it could mean the difference between life and death.
4. Stability
Change the ABC’s indexation formula to cover the full costs of inflation and production.
In 2018 the government paused the indexation of operational funding, an effective cut of $83.7 million over 3 years. This followed years of brutal cuts to the ABC’s operating grant.
The cuts had devastating consequences. The loss of deep experience and collective memory was immeasurable. Slowly but inexorably the quality of the ABC’s offerings was downgraded.
The Albanese government has restored the losses incurred by the indexation pause and reinstated indexation. The government also introduced five year funding terms to improve planning and stability.
But the indexation formula does not cover the full costs of inflation or the escalating costs of broadcast production. Unless urgent steps are taken to stabilise the ABC’s funding, there is a real risk of more cuts to the ABC’s programs, staff and services.
5. Access: A public broadcaster for all Australians
Provide additional funding to ensure that high quality ABC services can be received by all Australians across the country.
All Australians whether they live in urban, rural, regional or remote areas should have access to our national broadcaster. But in some parts of the country, it is difficult, even impossible, to get a decent signal.
Lack of a signal not only denies Australians access to ABC programs; it leaves them vulnerable during crises.
A shift to digital services should not remove access for those people who don’t have digital devices. The most disadvantaged economically and those who live in isolated communities, would be the most likely to suffer if the ABC were only available via digital services.
Funding should guarantee that the ABC’s services can be received throughout all parts of Australia.
6. Independence
Guarantee the independence of the ABC
The ABC has been a vitally important part of our democracy for more than 90 years. In this era of fake news, the need for a fearless public broadcaster has never been greater. But to be effective, the ABC must be independent, free from commercial interests and immune from political interference.
In 2013, arm’s length, merit based reforms were legislated to depoliticise the ABC appointment process. But in the years that followed, coalition government Ministers breached those rules repeatedly.
The Albanese government reinstated an arms-length process to select the ABC Chair and board members, and in 2023 conducted a review of options aimed at supporting the independence of the two national media organisations, ABC and SBS. It is now time to implement the review’s fundings.
We call on all parties to commit to specific legislative and other measures to protect the ABC’s independence.
Section 2 – Questions for Candidates
- Funding: Do you support a restoration of ABC funding by $140 million per year to be phased in progressively over a 3-year period commencing in 2026, and will you push for this if you are elected?
- Privatisation: Will you oppose the privatisation of the ABC and guarantee that it will remain free-to-access for all Australians: no ads, no subscriptions and no downgrading of services?
- Emergency Services: Will you support the introduction of a dedicated fund to provide full funding for the ABC’s emergency service?
- Indexation: Do you support a change to the ABC’s indexation formula to cover the full costs of inflation and production?
- Access: Do you support additional funding to ensure that high quality ABC services can be received by all Australians across the country?
- Independence: If elected, will you push for specific legislative and other measures to protect the ABC’s independence?
Section 3 – Questions for Political Parties
Should your parth be elected;
- Funding: Will your government restore ABC funding by $140 million per year to be phased in progressively over a 3-year period commencing in 2026?
- Privatisation: Will your government oppose the privatisation of the ABC and guarantee that it will remain free-to-access for all Australians with no ads, no subscriptions and no downgrading of services?
- Emergency Services: Will your government introduce a dedicated fund to provide full funding for the ABC’s emergency service?
- Indexation: Will your government agree to change the ABC’s indexation formula to cover the full costs of inflation and broadcast production?
- Access: Will your government provide additional funding to ensure that high quality ABC services can be received by all Australians across the country?
- Independence: Will your government take specific legislative and other measures to protect the ABC’s independence?