WhatwillYOUmissaboutOURABC?

o Playschool?FunANDeducationalTVforoursmallchildren?
o Grandstand:CrickethesoundsofanAussiesummer?

o TheDreamhouse:WhoelseincludesourWHOLEfamily?

o RedfernNow:WhoelseshowsuswithcleareyesandkindnesshowourfirstAustraliansare
livinginourcitiesnow?
o CountdownandRage,ifyouarearock/popmusiclistener?
o ABCClassicFM,ifBach,BeethovenandMozartsootheyoursoul?70years+ofsupportfor
Australianorchestras,musiciansandcomposers.
o Trustworthyuptotheminutereportsonbushfiresinourcountryandcities?
o CivilisedTVandradioWITHOUTADS?
o AndwhatelsewillYOUandyourmother,father,grandmother,grandfather,children
miss?

WILLOURUSUALAUSSIERESPONSE:SHELLBERIGHT,MATE!OURACCEPTANCE
OFTONYABBOTTSBROKENPROMISE:THEREWILLBENOCUTSTOSBSORTHEABC
UNDERACOALITIONGOVENMENTBEACASEOFYOUDONTKNOWWHATYOUVE
GOTTILLITSGONE?

TonyAbbottpromisedustheAustralianpeopleTherewillbenocutstoeducationetc.
etc.etc.ANDTherewillbeNOcutstofundingfortheABC.
BUTwenowknow,apartfromalltheotherbrokenpromises(e.g.oneducation),thatthe
ABCwillnowlose$254millionoverthenextfiveyearstogetherwithearliercutsthe
amounteffectivelyrepresents8percentofthetotalABCbudget.

FACT:TheconservativeIMFInternationalMonetaryFundstated:Australia's
mostneedlesslywastefulspendingtookplaceundertheJohnHowardledCoalition
governmentratherthanundertheWhitlam,RuddorGillardLaborgovernment.
RuddsspendingwasneededtostabilisetheeconomyduringtheGFC.
FACT:AustraliaDOESNOTHAVEAPUBLICDEBTPROBLEM:In2012:as%of
GDP:OZ=29.3Switzerland=52.4USA=72.4Germany=79.9Canada=84.1
France=89.9UK=90Japan=214.3!i.e.cutstoourABCaredrivenbyideologyand
Murdochsplantotakeoverourentiremedialandscape!

TheABChasalreadylostfundingforthe$223millionAustraliaNetwork,sucha
brilliantexampleofSOFTDIPLOMACYFORAUSTRALIAintotheAsiaPacific
region.AustralianuniversitiesandtheAustralianeconomybenefittedfromthestudents
whosefamiliessaid:Thisisagood,safecountrytosendourchildrenforagooduniversity
education.AustraliaNetworkbroughtenormouskudostoAustraliathroughoutthe
AsiaPacificregion,OURREGION,playingahugesoftdiplomacyandsubtlydemocratising
rolethroughitsEnglishlanguageandothereducationalprogramsdevelopedin
collaborationwithAustralianuniversitiesAusBizAust,chat/discussionprograms,brilliant

Catalystonscientificandmedicalinnovations,andthroughscreeningofloved
Australianmadedrama:JanetKing,APlacetoCallHome,evenHomeandAway!

RupertMurdoch,Americancitizenandglobalmediatycoon,hasforyearspressurised
successiveAustraliangovernmentstotakeoverthecontractforAustraliaNetwork.

MurdochevidentlyholdsenormousswayovertheAbbottGovernment.Hewasborn
Australian,butheandhisAmericabasedmultinationalcorporation,NewsCorp,do
notbehaveinawaythatsupportsthedisseminationoffactual,objectiveandindepth
informationthatisthelifebloodofdemocracy.ItdoesnotmatterhowonevotesBUTa
strongdemocracydependsontheavailabilityofawidediversityofinformationsources
andsocialandpoliticalpointsofview.

PreelectionMurdochownedTelegraphheadline:

Whicheverwayyouvote,thisisnotobjectivereporting:THISISUNASHAMED
MANIPULATIONOFVOTERSINACOUNTRYTHATRUPERTMURDOCHHAS
LONGSINCENOTCALLEDHOME,whoseNewsCorpscandalrevealedtheillegal
phonetappingofamurderedBritishschoolgirlandofthefamiliesofBritishsoldiers
servinginAfghanistan.
RobertManne,votedforyearsasAustraliasmostadmiredintellectual,onMurdoch
dominationofourmedia:TheshamelessactionsofNewsLtdareathreattoour
democracy.
NewsLtdowns70percentofthecirculationofmajornewspapersinAustralia,
includingmostofourlocalpapers:Googlethelistsforyourcityandothersyouwillbe
shockednomatterhowyouvote.AsathinkingAustralian,doesntthisdominationof
nationalandlocalmediaworryyou?
RobertManne:Itmaynotbesoseriousif[Murdoch]whohassomuchinfluencein
Australia,wasrespectedandtrustedbymostAustralians.Theoppositeisthecase.
Justrecentlyhewasvotedasoneoftheleasttrusted.Hewasplacednumber97onthe
ReadersDigestWhoDoWeTrust2012list.

And now Murdoch has declared that he wants to dominate our

internet as well! How can Murdochs sensationalist reporting and
self-promoting propaganda compare with the informed, objective and
in-depth ABC online?

ThesheerdemocracyoftheprogrammingoftheABC.Thereisastationorprogramfor
everyAustralianyoungandoldlikingjazzorclassicaloroperaorpoporrock
documentariesorcomediesgenerallyofsuchahighstandardthatmanyaresoldandbecome
hitsoverseas.

IfyoualsoloveYOURABC,whynotletyourlocalMPknowhowmuchyouloveit?
SueLubbers,fortheSydneyNorthWeLoveourABC
Email:northdsydlovesabc@gmail.com