Zed Seselja (ACT, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I will ignore the interjections as I highlight this. ABC board member Dr Stanley today, on Radio National, I think, this morning defended the cuts despite being anguished about them, saying that the regional newsrooms were 'probably going to be cut anyway'. So the ABC was already planning on making these kinds of cuts, and they are now using these savings as an excuse to make the kinds of cuts that they wanted to make anyway. Instead of looking internally, instead of looking at Ultimo, they have gone out to the regions and made the cuts, because presumably they judge that somehow they will therefore be able to blame the government for the cuts that they wanted to make any way. The room is there to cut in other areas. Mark Scott has made these decisions. I believe that many of them are unreasonable decisions, but they are for him to take responsibility for. (Time expired)