CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT
The ABC will axe up to 250 jobs and cut programming as it deals with budget cuts that the government says are necessary to ensure we have a strong economy.
The ABC has long faced criticism from federal Coalition politicians, particularly those in the National Party, who have accused it of being too anti-corruption-centric.
The head office has already outlined cuts to travel and to spending on television productions, as the organisation is ordered to stop travelling around Australia and covering stories in regional communities that have traditionally remained loyal to the ABC.
The ABC had already flagged that it would shed about 250 jobs due to a three-year funding indexation pause announced by Morrison in 2018, as the last hoorah of what looked liked an outgoing Liberal Government.
After a nightmare summer of bushfires, it is not yet known where Australians will now turn to for their radio disaster updates, as Kyle Sandilands and Jackie-O are not well known for their work in directing the people of Eden and Batemans Bay to the correct evacuation zones when their houses are burning to the ground and people are dying in uncontrollable bushfires.
The public broadcaster is now being asked to operate with $84 million less funding a year, which makes up roughly 11.6% of the $721 million that the government is now paying back to the thousands of vulnerable Australians that were illegally fined by the robodebt program that caused insurmountable grief for the working class, forcing many into suicide and homelessness.
Managing director David Anderson said flagship radio news bulletins are now a thing of the past, as well as the ABC Life online publication that was started in an attempt to appeal to migrant communities and young people – two voter blocks that the government would not like to see getting their news from anyone other Rupert Murdoch and Channel Nine’s Peter Costello.
When asked for comment on his government’s decision to gut the only media network capable of broadcasting programs not related to heavily botoxed bogans finding love on dating shows, Prime Minister Morrison said he’s surprised no one in the ABC saw this coming.
“Haha. Seriously?” said Morrison, between bursts of laughter.
“These people think they can just dig around my government’s sports grants programs and the pillaging of the Murray Darling system without facing any repercussions?”
“Oh my gosh. This is so funny that they are getting upset about this. It’s like they don’t even realise how unfair they have been to me by reporting that I tried to invite the known pedophile protector and Hillsong founder Brian Houston to the White House as the official guest of the Australian government”
The Prime Minister then paused briefly to catch his breath from his hysterical laughing fit.
“Maybe they shouldn’t have made such a big, big deal about me going to Hawaii”
“[continues laughing]”
