Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications) Share this | Hansard source

I'm sure colleagues recall that the Turnbull government was re-elected in 2016 and, as is well known, we are in the midst of the current triennium of funding for the ABC, which has a year to go, and funding in the current triennium has not been altered. In the budget the government announced that there would be an indexation pause in the next triennium of funding for the ABC. The next triennium commences in 12 months. Paired with the indexation pause, the government announced that there would be an efficiency review to support the ABC in looking to ensure that the ABC as an organisation is the best possible steward of taxpayer dollars that it can be.

On this side of the chamber we believe it is important that every Commonwealth government entity is the best possible steward it can be of precious taxpayer dollars. The measures this government has announced all have the objective of helping to support the ABC to be as efficient as it can be, as transparent as it can be and as accountable as it can be.