Tsunami

The ABC decision would have been due to government budget cuts. Around half the voting population seem to want the ABC gone which is a real shame.

In practical terms there are not a lot of HF radios being used these days so the benefits are to a minority

Think a lot of people go remote to get away from the News William.
Dave.

Spot on Dave.
Getting away from the news and people.
Always was handy to hear the cricket or the footy though.
William

Michael H9
There have been NO budget cuts to the ABC despite the claim from them and some political parties. If the amount they get is checked you will see no cuts. ABC does some good programs but also concentrate on issues not related to news, ie, gender theory and stirring racial unrest, and so they cut services to what they think, not what you or the population think. Out of control with anti Australian agendas. The HF service to Aus is simply collateral damage as it only benefitted a few and they don't have a say. they don't mind and you don't matter. All controlled by big city boys who hate Australia and Australians.
When will people stop believing the ABC as true and honest? A lot of folk haven't woken up yet. ie, Anti WOKE.

Thank you RMD. ten out of ten.

Alby,
I don't agree about HF users being a minority.
I'm waiting for the VKS737 to return an email as to subscriber numbers. I think it would exceed 5000 and a high percentage of them are remote travellers. And many outback stations still use the frequency.The RFDS still use HF.
More to the point HF travellers are quite willing to share information with other travellers like current weather and road conditions.
In cases of road trauma and other emegencies it well documented where a mobile HF has reported an incident in a remote location to the VKS network the controller knows which service to respond, which airstrips are closest for fixed wing and which properties have RFDS medical kits.
There are just under 10,000 subscribers to the VKS737 network alone.

Read the other day that one of Labor's election promises is to reinstate the NT short wave service.

Bob

Bigfish.
Many people, older people too, used to "trust" the ABC, I used too as well. Many trusting folk now longer do trust and have realized what the ABC now is. If you haven't noticed the trends and media bias and absolute waste of taxpayer money over the last 10 or more years, then maybe you never will! Sad.

Does not answer my question regarding your statement..

You have only made a large generalisation.

I would like to know about these anti Australian progamms/shows/announcments.

Ah the sweet smell of bovine manure, rarely absent from many Exploroz threads. Never let the facts get in the way of a biased and uniformed opinion I always say.

ABC Budget Cuts

Or in the ABC's own words:
"In 1987 the ABC famously cost eight cents a day. Adjusted for inflation and population growth, the ABC today costs each Australian just half that amount.

Since the mid-1980s our real funding has decreased by 28% or $336 million. Our funding is 34% lower than the average of 18 comparable public broadcasters."

It's deja vu RMD, but your opinion on ABC matters deserves examination. My radar tells me it's somewhere between a load of cobblers and a crock.

Is the ABC anti-Australian? Personally I can see no evidence for that at all - in fact I think it's an outrageous and borderline paranoid view . I very much doubt the vast majority of Australians would support the notion.

While you're searching for an answer to Bigfish's question, here's one from me: what funds does the ABC "waste" exactly? Gathering together your vast experience in the provision of news, ca, entertainment, modern radio and TV services, new broadcasting technologies etc and their related costs it shouldn't be difficult to provide a breakdown for we less enlightened plebs. They aren't perfect by any means so tracking down this so called waste should be simple enough.

Despite your regular hyperbolic rants about the ABC , national media and ABC feedback surveys year on year show Australians value their national broadcaster highly, significantly above the alternatives.

The ABC news and current affairs depts don't set agendas, they explore them according to the ABC Charter. First time I've seen anyone claim they stir up racial unrest, but nothing surprises wrt ignorant and hyperbolic claims made by their detractors these days.

Don't have to send for you do we Bazooka, ya like the tide. So with all that support I gather you'd be happy to hold a referendum at the next election as to whether to privatise the ABC.
As for wastage take Media Watch as an example. 10 people to produce a 20 minute program once a week.
Dave.

You have a problem with me pointing out the obvious David? Happy to put your opinion out there but don't like alternative views, facts or reality checks? Seems a common trait these days.

There's no need or mechanism for a referendum to privatise the ABC - as you know referenda are solely for changes to the Constitution. The federal govt could simply make regulatory changes to the Act, but they won't be doing that for two obvious reasons: (1) the Senate would be unlikely to support it; (2) it would be electoral suicide. Far smarter to gradually reduce the ABC's budget so that it becomes less effective and independent, and its services problematic. We're a long way from that at this point despite the regular budgetary cuts.

But to answer your question: Yep, apart from the unnecessary cost I'd have no problem with a plebiscite on ABC privatisation, and I'd also put my house on the result.

I take your MW comment the the grain of salt it deserves. What I suspect you actually mean is that you don't like the content and presentation - pretty much the same driver for the anti-ABC brigade in general.

Not anti ABC at all. Would just like to see it comply with its charter obligation to provide fair, accurate and impartial news.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but not their own facts.
Had high hopes on Ita's appointment but that turned out to be great disappointment, as did David's. ( like to be on first name terms with my employees) :)
Dave.

Like RMD you are alleging ABC makes up its own facts..please give me a couple of examples of them making up their own facts.

How much have the ABC paid out in litigation costs and the fees to their lawyers laterly and you still think they are not biased in their reporting.

Do the names Pascoe or Laming or Luna Park Ghost Train ring a bell Bigfish ? I could go on but I won't.
Dave.

If you have any evidence that the ABC is not following its charter or inventing "facts" for some perceived nefarious purpose (overthrowing democracy or undermining the Australian way of life perhaps?) feel free to collate it and send it to their complaints unit David. Before you do though I'm sure some on this forum would love to see what these terrible infractions that caused you such dismay actually were.

Alternatively go straight to the Board, which is appointed by the govt of the day and currently includes former News Corp and Foxtel chief Peter Tonagh. As far as I can see EVERY member of the board has been appointed by an LNP govt.


Here's a brief summary of ABC Board members and their backgrounds. Oddly enough (in fact the opposite), not one obvious lefty among them. In the last two decades can you think of any ABC Chair who was from a "left" background or who didn't meet your own exacting standards?

It's probably just me but I find "facts" as referred to by many in the public (and which regularly get aired on forums and in comments on media articles) are more often than not actually perceptions which fit the commenters personal biases, be they right or left or middle. The more extreme the comments, the more likely they are to be invented, fiction or obvious personal ideology. "The ABC hates Australia" being a classic example of all three.

Out of interest what ABC "facts" do you dispute, and was the problem isolated or do you have enough instances of the ABC "making stuff up" which would suggest that it's "anti-Australian" and that it "hates Australia"?

Every large organisation, including the ABC, makes mistakes. It's important that they're held to account and respond according to their charter but anyone who expects perfection in any large media operation will invariably be disappointed.

I have no idea about the amount Dick L...how does it compare to Murdochs and Stokes empires?

Bazooka.
Evidence ABC is not following its charter or inventing "facts"
As per reply to Bigfish.
Dave.

The Laming / Milligan case was interesting insofar as he chose to target her for repeating a term which had been used numerous times already in regard to his photograph of a stranger. Milligan was undoubtedly wrong, unwise and unprofessional to repeat the offending word but as most know Twitter is replete with extremes which do nothing to promote reasoned discourse. Anyone who doesn't know about the Laming story, including alleged harassment of two of his constituents, should do a bit of reading and determine for themselves whether his was appropriate behaviour for an MP.

The Ghost Train program made suggestions of possible political influence by a known criminal. As the ABC review said: “The program makers uncovered much suspicious evidence around arson being the cause of the fire, exposed the incompetence of the police investigation, reported on the inadequacies of earlier investigations, revealed the way policy making by the NSW government benefited Saffron, and the corrupt circle of influence around Saffron. They mounted a compelling case for a new investigation.”

The ABC's big failure (unsurprisingly involving Four Corners which has often pushed the envelope in my opinion) was in the WIng case, a joint investigation with 9. That result alone should send a message to the ABC Board that Four Corners producers need to significantly improve their game.

Do these instances demonstrate ingrained bias or a pervasive anti-Australian bent? Not even close.

Thank you Michelle
A lot has happened since we travelled the west coast.
I don't think we'll get back given the covid regulations in WA we are just running out of time along with lots of other old people.

Yep COVID turned WA into a tourist mecca - never seen so many caravans and family 4WDrivers. Many upgraded destinations and services, and totally booked out. The wheatbelt however is still peaceful :)