MEMBER for Lyne Dr David Gillespie had some irate friends of the ABC on his doorstep yesterday – literally.
As part of a nationwide action across 69 electorates, supporters of the ABC delivered a petition signed on-line by 240,000 people, to demand that the government keeps its promise.
This included a small crowd that gathered at the Port Macquarie office of Dr Gillespie at 9am yesterday.
Publicity officer for the Hastings Friends of the ABC Harry Creamer said they were sending the strongest possible message to the government: “Protect the ABC from budget cuts next Tuesday when the federal budget is handed down.”
Mr Creamer said the night before the 2013 election Tony Abbott promised there would be no cuts to education, no cuts to health, no change to pensions, no change to the GST and no cuts to the ABC or SBS.
“Comments from the Prime Minister on talkback radio about the ABC, tirades against the ABC from the Coalition party room, and near-daily attacks on the ABC from conservative commentators all point in one direction – get the ABC,” Mr Creamer said.
“People of all walks of life, all around Australia, love the ABC. Eighty two per cent say the ABC does a good job of being distinctively Australian and 78 per cent think the ABC is balanced and even-handed. Seventy per cent of those surveyed nominate the ABC as their most trusted media outlet.
“Despite this high level of support, we know that cuts are likely.
“His promise of no cuts to the ABC is in danger of becoming a non-core promise, one that does not have to be kept, but we say it does have to be kept, and we are asking David Gillespie to take this message to Canberra.”
