Fed: ABC faces grilling on regional services tomorrow

AAP General News (Australia)
12-07-2000
Fed: ABC faces grilling on regional services tomorrow

CANBERRA, Dec 7 AAP - The impact of ABC news and current affairs budget cuts on services
to the bush will come under the spotlight tomorrow at a parliamentary inquiry into regional
radio.

Staff went on strike this week amid fears of job losses from a $3.4 million cut to
news and current affairs, while the ABC board agreed to ask the government for an extra
$40 million for new programming.

The communications committee called ABC radio director Sue Howard and other executives
to appear at its first public hearing in Canberra, along with community, commercial and
independent broadcasting representatives.

Chairman and National Party Senator Paul Neville said MPs were keen to hear how internal
budget cuts would affect access to ABC services.

"We will be asking the ABC to provide details on the possible impact of news and current
affairs funding cuts and organisational changes on regional services, the extension of
parliamentary news network services to regional listeners and the reception difficulties
faced by listeners in many parts of Australia," he said.

"Everyone should have access to the national broadcaster."

Managing director Jonathan Shier will go on a two-day tour of western Queensland with
National Party Senate leader Ron Boswell next week to assess the needs of rural communities
first hand.

Senator Boswell, who earlier this year undertook a similar trip with Telstra chief
executive Ziggy Switkowski, will take Mr Shier through Aramac, Barcaldine and Longreach.

The Senate today passed a motion of concern about the impact of the ABC's restructure
on editorial independence, job losses and low morale while calling on the government to
increase funding.

Mr Shier also defended the ABC's move to ask the government for $37.25 million for
new programming initiatives, not to prop up news and current affairs.

Better TV, radio and Internet services for rural and regional Australia are on the
wishlist, along with new digital educational broadcasts and improved children's programming.

Mr Shier said new programs were important to maintain cultural sovereignty.

"What we have at the moment ... is full-blown American broadcasting, to which is grafted
an underfunded public broadcaster," he told the ABC in Melbourne.

"We ... take a lot of American content and a lot of British content - we sometimes
manage to convince ourselves that it's our own."

The South Australian Farmers Federation said rural Australia relied heavily on the
ABC and it would write to Communications Minister Richard Alston about the level of government
funding.

AAP kmh/daw/gmw/de

KEYWORD: ABC REGIONAL

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