The ABC is currently negotiating its funding for the next three years.

Since 1985, ABC base funding has not kept up with inflation which in real terms means that ABC funding has been in decline.

At the same time, the new and rising cost of providing ABC programs and service digitally has placed enormous pressure on the ABC and their already strained budget.

Funding increases under the previous Labour Government went some way to reducing this gap however additional funding cuts by the Coalition in 2014 have put the ABC in a dire situation.

In 2014, the Coalition announced $254 million worth of funding cuts to the ABC over five years – a brutal blow which has decimated the ABC’s internal production capacity and resulted in 400 ABC employees losing their jobs.

The current managing director of the ABC, Mark Scott, has also confirmed that there are still further job cuts (at least 100) needed if the ABC is to meet its budget.

If ABC funding is not restored now the ABC will struggle to remain relevant and to provide Australians with distinctive local and specialist content within the next 10 years.