Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Minister for Agriculture) | Hansard source

In my previous role as Minister for Decentralisation, I probably should have just decentralised Ultimo out to the regions and we wouldn't even need this piece of legislation. But I didn't quite get there!

The regional advisory council is to be established within three months of the bill becoming law. The council's role will be to reflect and consult with regional Australia when the board is actually making decisions on service provision. We had the short-wave decision, which saw the NT basically without ABC services outside of Darwin, Alice Springs and Katherine. It was just shocking: people on station could not actually listen to the national broadcaster, which receives a billion dollars worth of public funds. Over time, the ABC has had numerous examples of cutting services and consolidating staff into capital cities.

The bill will also require the ABC board to have at least two appointees who have a deep connection to rural and regional Australia. (Time expired)