New polling released by The Australia Institute today shows that most voters support a long term boost to ABC funding and oppose funding cuts to the ABC and SBS. 

The Australia Institute surveyed 1557 Australians with a series of questions about their attitudes towards the ABS.

Key results:

• 70% agreed a “strong, independent ABC is critical to a healthy democracy”.
• 60% agreed the ABC needs a “boost to long term funding”, including a majority of voters for all parties.
• 58% disagreed “The ABC and SBS should get less funding and provide fewer online and streaming services, so that they don’t undermine commercial media”

“There has never been a greater need for a strong, independent and trusted public broadcaster, yet in last night’s Budget the government cut more than $80 million in funding from Australia’s most trusted news source, ” said The Australia Institute’s Deputy Director, Ebony Bennett.

“With stronger than expected revenue, the government should be investing in a boost to the long term funding of the ABC, a move that would be supported by a majority of voters.

“Seven in 10 Australians think a strong, independent ABC is critical to a healthy democracy. Cutting funding to the ABC is the opposite of what we should be doing in an age of ‘fake news’ and when the business model for journalism has been seriously disrupted,” said Bennett.