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GetUp!

Fund the ABC!

Bushfires. Pandemics. Childhood. Elections.

The ABC is there for us – in and out of crises – keeping us safe, connected, and informed.

But nearly a decade of Coalition attacks – including $783 million in cut funding – has taken its toll.1 Job losses, reduced programming – the ABC remains in dire straits.

Despite the Coalition losing power, the scars of its devastating anti-ABC agenda – kept alive by the Murdoch Press – remain. It's now up to our new government to not only restore the ABC to health, but ensure – no matter who is in power – public broadcasting is safe.

Will you join more than 150,000 people and sign the petition demanding the Albanese Government fully fund our ABC?
Image of ABC logo cracking like glass
Since taking government, the Albanese Government has committed to ensuring the ABC's independence is more protected. But they've only pledged piecemeal funding back to the ABC.

Even under a new government, we know the anti-ABC agenda of the Murdoch Press and the Coalition opposition will continue. With opinion pieces, primetime Sky News slots, and and hostile lines of questioning from Senators, they'll be trumpeting a dangerous ideological agenda to defund an 'out-of-date' broadcaster.

That's why ensuring the Albanese Government restores essential funding is just the first step – we need to fight for long-lasting change so that no matter who is in government, our public broadcasters are protected.

Sign the petition now!
The damage done by successive Coalition governments cannot be understated.

Coalition funding cuts saw beloved ABC programs, services, and jobs cut or on the line:2

  • Fewer episodes of Four Corners, Foreign Correspondent and Australian Story.
  • Thousands of jobs lost, including another 250 staff from the News Division in 2020 alone.
  • The flagship 7.45am radio news bulletin axed, along with ABC Life, the ABC Comedy Channel, and more...
The good news? Public opinion is on our side, with the vast majority of Australians opposing these budget cuts.3

If all those people joined the movement, no government would be able to sweep the issue under the rug with further cuts becoming politically untenable.

With a new government in power, we have a chance to make that power known.

So: can you sign on to demand the Albanese Government reverse funding cuts and fully fund our ABC?

Want to know more about the cuts? Read more in It's Our ABC, a GetUp-funded report detailing the extent of Coalition cuts to the ABC.
Not loading on mobile? You can also read and download the full report here.
Funded by GetUp members, and authored by Fergus Pitt and Walkley Award-winning ex-ABC journalist, Quentin Dempster, this report details the ways the last Coalition Government systematically and relentlessly attacked the ABC – and the risk this has created for the ABC's independence, journalism, and our communities.

Download the report or read it below.
In 2021, GetUp produced an explosive short film laying bare the coordinated threats facing the ABC. It armed viewers with the truth to push back on a dangerous anti-ABC agenda.

Watch the film the Murdoch Press and Coalition don't want you to see 👇

Murdoch & Morrison v. The ABC

The Murdoch Press and Morrison Government are gunning for the ABC — This is the film they don't want you to see 👇

Posted by GetUp! on Tuesday, 2 February 2021


You can also watch the film on Youtube here.
[1] ABC loses $783m funding since 2014 when Coalition made its first cuts – report, The Guardian, 4 May 2020
[2] Economists fear PM's austerity drive will cripple the post-COVID recovery, The New Daily, 1 February 2021.
[3] Australians overwhelmingly oppose ABC budget cuts, ABC Friends, 1 June 2020.

✍️ SIGN NOW!

To the Australian Parliament:

We call on the Government to restore and increase essential operational funding to the ABC so that it can meet the needs of our communities with confidence, independence and integrity.




172,044 signatures

We need 27,956 more


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