ABC and SBS

The majority support Greens Senator Scott Ludlam's motion against the Government's budget cuts to the ABC and SBS.

Background to the bill

Before the 2013 federal election, Liberal MP Tony Abbott had promised that there would be "no cuts to the ABC or SBS" (see the interview with SBS and ABC's FactCheck analysis for the ABC promise and the SBS promise).

Motion text

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

(i) polling consistently shows That the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) are the most trusted media outlets in Australia and two of the most trusted organisations of any nature,

(ii) the then Leader of the Opposition, Mr Abbott, stated categorically before the 2013 federal election that there would be 'no cuts to the ABC or SBS', and

(iii) on 1 September 2014, the Minister for Communications refused an order of the Senate to lay on the table a copy of Mr Peter Lewis' efficiency review into the ABC and SBS [read more on ABC News]; and

(b) condemns the Abbott Government's:

(i) unjustified budget cuts to the ABC and SBS, and

(ii) deception of the Australian public in promising no cuts to the nation's public broadcasters.