Cuts to Australia's ABC 'will lead to Murdoch media monopoly'

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), the country's public service broadcaster, is facing some uncomfortable choices now that its budget has been cut by 1%.

(Unlike the BBC, funded by licence fee, the ABC is funded by its country's government). The government has also axed the ABC's 10-year contract to run the Asia Pacific TV service, Australia Network.

The initial result is that ABC's managing director, Mark Scott, will impose redundancies. Other cutbacks are very likely.

But these will only be the tip of the iceberg, according to ABC journalist and public broadcasting advocate Quentin Dempster who has warned government of a coming Murdoch media monopoly.

He also identifies "ideological hostility" to public service broadcasting and editorial independence in international broadcasting by foreign minister Julie Bishop in a speech at London's Chatham House in March:

"My question is whether or not there is an inherent conflict in having the ABC contracted to deliver Australian government messages into the region. We've had conflict writ large when it comes to the issue of asylum seekers and the issue of the Snowden allegations.

The ABC is a news organisation and perfectly entitled to report how it wishes into the region on those two contentious issues. But under a soft-power diplomacy contract, it's meant to be delivering a positive image of Australia into the region."

Dempster argues that Bishop wants the ABC to broadcast "Australian government propaganda." And, in the conclusion to his article on the Crikey website, he suggests that the government have been too ready to accept criticism of public service broadcasting by outlets controlled by Rupert Murdoch.

"Don't fall for Murdoch press propaganda," he writes. "The ABC is part of the institutional strength and robustness of Australian democracy. Get into bed with Murdoch and you sell your souls."

Sources: ABC.net.au/Crikey