MEDIA RELEASE - 10 SEPTEMBER, 1997

At a function at the Law Institute in Melbourne today, the Minister for Communications and the Arts, Senator Alston, made several untrue assertions about the ABC. Dr June Factor, National Spokesperson of FABC, who attended the Melbourne function, says she is amazed and disturbed at the Minister's deliberate misinformation of his audience. Senator Alston said that:

* the Goverment did not reduce the ABC's funding before the 1997/98 budget.
UNTRUE. Prior to the 1997/98 funding cut of 10% ($55m), the ABC's funding was cut by 2% ($10.8m) - called an 'efficiency divided'.

* the ABC 'found' a saving of $28m 'overnight' following the Mansfield Review of the ABC.
UNTRUE. The ABC had been engaged in internal restructuring - which has led to this saving - since the appointment of Brian Johns as Managing Director under the previous government.

* Mr Mansfield reported that the digitisation of the ABC radio and television services can be paid for by outsourcing television production.
UNTRUE. Mr Mansfield recommended that the government provide the ABC with funding specifically to assist its technological upgrading.

* he had met with Friends of the ABC 'on several occasions'.
UNTRUE. FABC met the minister only once, in June 1996. All efforts to arrange a meeting since then have proved unsuccessful. The Minister is always too busy.

* Friends of the ABC in Victoria are engaged in 'a political campaign' and are not representative of the rest of Australia.
UNTRUE. The national office of Friends of the ABC operates from Melbourne. The organisation has many thousands of members across the country, of every political persuasion. It is one of the largest community organisations in Australia, with a growing and active membership. It is dedicated to the maintenance and strengthening of the ABC as a comprehensive, independent and innovative national public broadcaster.

"We have been trying to arrange a meeting with the Minister for more than 12 months," says Dr Factor. "In that time, his government has met many times with Mr Packer and Mr Murdoch. Yet he refuses to meet with Friends of the ABC.

"We have a number of urgent matters to raise with him, including growing public concern about the government's intention to weaken the independence of the ABC by altering its Charter. Who can forget the words of the leaked Department of Communications cabinet document, which declares that the government must 'influence future ABC functions and activities more directly'?

"The public broadcaster is not a creature of the government. It belongs to the Australian people. Friends of the ABC represent the 85% of Australians who want the ABC to remain a well-resourced and independent national broadcaster.

"Senator Alston, when will you meet with us?"

(Dr) June Factor, FABC National Spokesperson