Dear Prime Minister,

In a long political career, you have maintained a reputation for honesty and integrity. We therefore appeal to you, the elected political leader of Australia, to ensure that your pre-election commitments to the ABC are honoured.
Better Communications, the Liberal and National Parties' Policy Document presented to the Australian people before the last election, said of the ABC, with its six radio networks, national television channels, State symphony orchestras, and international broadcasting through Radio and ATV:
This vast network provides a diverse range of programs and performances of cultural value and intellectual integrity. The ABC has a proud record of offering high quality and diverse programming across a broad spectrum of human interests including news, current affairs, drama, sport and the arts.
The ABC must be an independent, truly national, publicly funded broadcaster devoted to excellence and objectivity and offering a clear alternative to the commercial broadcasting sector. The ABC should reflect the broad spectrum of interests, values and views in the Australian community.
Specifically, the policy document committed your government to:

• maintain the existing levels of Commonwealth funding to the ABC;
• maintain the current prohibition on advertising and sponsorship on ABC television and radio;
• maintain the ABC's comprehensive radio network;
• encourage and support the ongoing expansion of ABC Radio, including the extension of the Triple J network into regional Australia;
• maintain current levels of financial support for the orchestras;
• fund the ABC directly for its transmission costs.

100 Prominent Australians who think the ABC is worth saving:

* indicates names added since June 16, 1996

*AUSTRALIAN SOCIETY OF AUTHORS (committee of management
*PROFESSOR DENNIS ALTMAN
*DIANNA BAILLIEU
*REVEREND DR WARREN BARTLETT (Moderator, Uniting Church, Vic.)
*PROFESSOR DAVID BEANLAND (vice-chancellor, RMIT)
*RACHEL BERGER
GRAEME BLUNDELL (actor & writer)
*BEN BODNA AM
*SENATOR VICKI BOURNE
*SR VERONICA BRADY IBVM
DR JUDITH BRETT (academic & journalist)
*FATHER FRANK BRENNAN SJ AO
*JOHN BRUMBY
LEE BURTON (Free Speech Committee)
*BRIAN BUTLER
*SENATOR BOB BROWN
*THE HON. JOHN CAIN (Premier of Victoria 1982-90)
*THE HON. JIM CAIRNS
*RON CASTAN AM QC
TRICIA CASWELL (director, Plan International
PAUL CHADWICK (media analyst)
BISHOP MICHAEL CHALLEN AM (Executive director, Brotherhood of St Laurence)
*FATHER PAUL COLLINS
MIKE COUNIHAN (media academic)
LIZ CURRAN (Federation of Community Legal Services)
*RUTH CRACKNELL AM
*MARY CROOKS
*RODNEY CROOME
*JIM DOWNEY
*PHILLIP DUNN QC (Melbourne barrister)
DR DON EDGAR (professorial fellow, Monash University; previously director, Australian Institute of Family Studies)
DR PATRICIA EDGAR AM(director, Australian Children's Television Foundation)
DR JUNE FACTOR
GEORGE FAIRFAX AM(actor & director)
*BEATRICE FAUST
MARY FEATHERSTON (designer)
*ROBERT FITZGERALD AM
MORAG FRASER (editor, Eureka Street
*CARILLO GANTNER (chair, Asia Link Centre, University of Melbourne; chair, Melbourne International Comedy Festival)
*PETER GARRETT
*JENNIE GEORGE
MAX GILLIES AM(actor)
PROFESSOR IAN GUST AO (scientist)
SIR RUPERT HAMER AC(Premier of Victoria 1972-81)
MARY HAMMOND (artist)
*LORNA HANNON (Melbourne City Councillor)
*ROLAND HARVEY (illustrator & publisher)
*JANINE HAYNES
JACK HIBBERD (writer)
LEIGH HUBBARD (secretary, Victorian Trades Hall Council)
NICHOLAS HUDSON (publisher)
PROFESSOR KEN INGLIS (A.N.U., author of This is the ABC)
AMIRAH INGLIS (writer)
*ELIZABETH JOLLEY AO
*JOAN KIRNER AM
*RON KIRNER
SENATOR CHERYL KERNOT
POPPY KING
EVELYN KRAPE (actor)
RABBI JOHN LEVI (chief rabbi, Temple Beth Israel)
*PETER LORD (president, Australian Education Union, Victorian Branch)
*PROFESSOR STUART MACINTYRE
*SENATOR DEE MARGETS
*MONICA MAUGHAN
*DR DAVIS McCAUGHEY AO (Governor of Victoria 1986-92)
JAMES MCCAUGHEY (theatre director)
*JEAN MCCAUGHEY AO (co-chair, People Together project
*PROFESSOR STUART MACINTYRE (Ernest Scott professor of history, University of Melbourne)
PROFESSOR JOHN MCLAREN (editor, Overland
*PATSY MORRISON
*PRUE MYER
*MONICA MAUGHAN (actor)
*PATSY MORRISON (executive director, Victorian Council of Social Service)
FATHER PETER NORDEN S.J. (associate director, Melbourne Catholic
Social Services)
*MIETTA O'DONNELL
*BILL O'LOUGHLIN
LECKI ORD (architect; Mayor of Melbourne 1987-88)
*JOSEPH O'REILLY
*MAGISTRATE PAT O'SHANE AM
*BRONWYN PIKE
DR DAVID POTTS (historian)
JANET POWELL (president, YWCA)
*DR ALEX PUCCI AO
*MOIRA RAYNER
*PROFESSOR DIMITY REED (professor of urban design, RMIT)
*JILL REICHSTEIN
JUNE REID (president, Country Women's Association, Vic.)
ROBERT RICHTER QC (president, Victorian Council for Civil Liberties)
PROFESSOR JOHN SALMOND (historian, Latrobe University)
*DELYS SARGEANT AM
*SENATOR THE HON. CHRIS SCHACT
*DAVID SCOTT AO
*SHEILA SCOTTER AM
*DR JOCELYNNE SCUTT
TOM SHAPCOTT AO (president, National Book Council)
*WALLY SHAW (president, Victorian Farmers Federation)
*PROFESSOR PETER SINGER
*DR DALE SPENDER (writer)
*LYNNE SPENDER (executive director, Australian Society of Authors)
*SENATOR NATASHA STOTT DESPOJA
GOUGH WHITLAM AC QC (Prime Minister of Australia 1972-75)
*PROFESSOR DAVID YENKEN AO

Reply to Open Letter
FROM:

The Department of
THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

21 June 1996

Dr June Factor
Friends of the ABC (Victorian Branch)
GPO Box 4065
MELBOURNE VIC 3001

Dear Dr Factor

Thank you for your correspondence of 19 June 1996 to the Prime Minister regarding funding to the ABC.

Your comments have been noted and referred to the Minister for Communications and the Arts, Senator the Hon Richard Alston, who has portfolio responsibility for this matter.

Yours sincerely

[signed]

S. de Mel
Ministerials Officer