Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications) Share this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, you only have to mention a bill and the barrister gets to his feet! I respect that. In deference to our former profession, we know that lawyers have families and you have to respect that. They struggle—and it is not so easy now, of course, for the honourable member. Let me be very clear about this: the ABC has been exempt from efficiency dividends since the mid-nineties—nearly 20 years. Were the efficiency dividend that is currently applying to other government agencies been applied to the ABC, it would be 2½ per cent this year, 2½ per cent next year, 2½ per cent the following year and one per cent in the fourth year. In the ABC that would amount to about $250 million. But that is not what was applied to the ABC. In terms of the Department of Finance, they are getting over five years roughly the same amount of money so it is perfectly reasonable to say it is in substance, in terms of a return to the budget, effectively the same financial consequence as an efficiency dividend.

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