Celia Hammond (Curtin, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Mayo for her motion. By way of declaration, I am a member of Parliamentary Friends of the ABC. But like all good friends I am not an uncritical one.

ABC emergency broadcasting brings warnings and coverage of emergencies to one place. It helps people find information during, before and after times of crisis and disaster wherever they may be in Australia. The service alerts people to what the emergency is and where it's located, what essential information is available that will help people make decisions and where they can find more information. It is a reliable, accurate and vital service to and for Australians. Although other broadcasters also provide emergency information, many across this country see the ABC as the national emergency broadcaster. While it's not explicitly within the ABC's charter, it is clearly something that both the ABC and the country consider to be an integral or core part of the ABC service.

I want to pay tribute to the incredible work that the ABC did in delivering vital emergency broadcasts and coverage during the devastating bushfires of this summer. ABC staff, particularly those based in regional towns, worked tirelessly over the summer to provide Australians with up-to-date news and information about the bushfires. I think it's also worthwhile noting here that this is not the first time the ABC has stepped up in times of emergency in Australia; it played a vital role in Cyclone Tracy, Cyclone Alby and the Black Saturday bushfires.

The ABC is our national broadcaster and has been since it was officially launched in 1932. It is above all else a service provider. The service it is mandated to provide Australians is an innovative and comprehensive broadcasting service of a high standard which informs, entertains, educates, encourages and promotes the musical, dramatic and other performing arts in Australia. It is to contribute to and reflect a sense of national identity.

The ABC, our national broadcaster, is funded by every taxpayer in the country. Over this triennium the ABC will receive $3.2 billion, which is just over $1 billion per year. Over and above this amount, in the last budget the Morrison government committed a further $43.7 million over three years to support the ABC's enhanced news-gathering in regional areas. In the context of this motion, it has to be noted that this level of funding gives the ABC more financial certainty than any other media organisation in the nation.

Further, and again in the context of this motion, the ABC has full operational independence. This means that the board and the executive of the ABC have the power and the responsibility to determine what they spend the money on. I have no doubt that the ABC, in providing its invaluable emergency service broadcasting during the devastating fires this year, has faced some costs that it did not anticipate or budget to spend this year. There are many individuals, businesses, NGOs and other service providers who are facing exactly the same situation. Just like those other organisations facing this issue, the resolution of it will not be easy. I do, however, stress once again that, in accordance with its charter and its operational independence, resolving this issue for the ABC is a matter for the board and the executive of the ABC.

The fiscally and responsible response to this is not, with all respect to the member for Mayo, to simply reverse the indexation pause for the ABC. Rather, it is for the board and executive to undertake a detailed examination of the financial impact of the service it has provided over this summer on its planned activities, to reprioritise and rebudget for the year ahead. If, following that exercise, the board is of the view that there is a compelling case for some of these additional and unexpected expenses to be offset by additional funding, it should bring forward detailed information about those costs for consideration to the government.

I am, and the government is, committed to a strong and resilient ABC operating efficiently and delivering the best possible outcomes for all communities. The work it did over the summer was exemplary, and the ABC deserves huge commendation for that. I agree that the ABC should not be financially punished for undertaking this role, but at the very same time, as an organisation which is funded by taxpayers to provide a service to all Australians and which has full operational independence as to how it spends its money, it must also take full responsibility for establishing a compelling case if it requires additional financial support. The Australian taxpayers who pay for this deserve no less.

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