At the cost to taxpayers of 1 BILLION DOLLARS ANNUALLY, SBS and the ABC are luxuries we can no longer afford, in this the 21st century. It is just a hangover from the 20th century's quaint way of prioritising. Our military forces,social security and medicare must now come first, where spending taxpayer money is concerned. It would be interesting to find out how much money the ABC and SBS would bring in a tender sale.

Richard Alston is one smart cookie. To call for tenders for the two Government organisations, would be a real wake-up call for their socialist pansy work-forces, and of great interest to Liberal Party strategists planning future policy, when they have control of both houses of our Parliament.

Frank king

The new zealand radio system seems the option. No one could say that the nz national program and the yc concert program would not be the role model for australia...... with the funding of somethig like nz on air over here as a goer

-- Anonymous, June 15, 2003

Answers

Frank,

I note your concern about the financial viability of the ABC.

There is lots of information on the website www.friendsoftheabc.org, which should more than allay your fears that Australian taxpayers' money is being wasted on the ABC.

You may be particularly interested in the study done by Professor Glen Withers and that of the Macquarie Bank. These should particularly allay your fears. The website also has information about the New Zealand public broadcasting saga, which you should find interesting in the light of your comments that we should copy the New Zealand model here in Australia.

If you have concerns that the information on this website is inaccurate, has been taken out of context or has been misrepresented, as regretfully seems to happen so often these days when some people try to prove a point, feel free to check it yourselves.

In conclusion I would like to respectfully take issue with your argument that anything publically funded is by definition, old fashioned and inefficient, and therefore has no value in the 21th century. It is absolutely appropriate that public money be spent wisely and that public organisations like the ABC be accountable. But is it appropriate, or logical, to argue for the wholesale abolition of such an organisation on this basis?

Margaret O'Connor (President, Friends of the ABC, ACT and Region)

-- Anonymous, June 24, 2003

Frank, Do you really imply that privitisation is the answer? Bye Bye any resemblencre of editorial independence when commercial interests are at play. Profit$ I would not personally subscribe to "these public services" as luxuries. The systematic bias claims by Alston is a smokescreen for Alston's lack of proper funding of digital services which Alston promised A smart cookie? the cookie placed on your computer by many websites is more productive. Alston is quite simply incompotent -making promises and not deliverying eg ABC Kids digital channel. Ask the families which purchased digital STBs on the basis of Alston's marketing. Look at Telecommunications and Telstra what a mess? Now he is stuffing up the ABC it is a real shame Alston not only wants everyone to pay a tax to Microsoft's Gates but also to his mates Packer and Murdoch to prop up SS. Titanic Foxtel Believe me. Frank user-pay will not provide the outcomes you hope for only further the concentration of media; which provides greater influence over the agenda set in the Australian media and you don't need to be capitalist, socialist etc to be concern about the implications of less media diversity.

-- Anonymous, August 06, 2003