Anne McEwen (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is also to Senator Fifield, the Minister representing the Minister for Communications. I refer to the Prime Minister's pre-election promise of, 'No cuts to the ABC and no cuts to the SBS.' Given the government has already cut $240 million as a down payment and the minister is searching for further substantial savings, hasn't the Prime Minister broken his promise?

Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Here we go again. The only difference is it is not the Australian Greens asking the question this time, it is the Australian Labor Party.

The government has been clear all the way through that every Commonwealth government department and agency should be good stewards of taxpayer dollars. The ABC and SBS should not be exempt from that legitimate public expectation that they get good value from each of the hard-earned taxpayer dollars that they render to the Australian government. That was the basis of the efficiency review that was commissioned. You would be aware that the results of that work have been provided to the boards of the ABC and SBS. The government is confident that the work of that review can be implemented by the ABC, can be taken into account by the ABC board without—

Doug Cameron (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That is just another Liberal lie. Add it to the pile!

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Cameron!

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order—as always, it goes to direct relevance to the question. The specific question was about the promise about no cuts to the ABC or SBS.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There is no point of order. The question cannot be taken in isolation when it has the preamble that Senator McEwan gave to the question. The minister is addressing the question.

Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I was saying, the government is confident that the boards of the ABC and SBS can find efficiencies without affecting production and without affecting content over the various platforms of the two organisations—that there are savings that can be made in the back of house.

The proposition of those opposite is actually quite absurd. What we are saying—and I think what the Australian public expects—is that organisations should be as efficient as they can be. The alternative to that is that organisations should be needlessly inefficient. That is not a proposition that we can support. In relation to the dollar figure that was cited, that relates to a contract which the foreign affairs portfolio had with the ABC, which has now been concluded by this government.

Anne McEwen (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Is the minister aware that 150 jobs at the ABC in South Australia are already at risk as a result of this government's budget cuts?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

'No cuts to the ABC.' Was that a lie?

Government senators interjecting—

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Senator McEwen, I am going to ask you to repeat the question. I could not hear the question.

Anne McEwen (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr President. Is the minister aware that 150 jobs at the ABC in South Australia are already at risk as a result of this government's budget cuts. How many jobs and how many South Australian ABC programs will be cut as a result of the Prime Minister's broken promise?

Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I should indicate at the outset that I do not accept at face value any proposition put forward by those opposite.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Was it a promise or was it a lie?

Senator Ian Macdonald interjecting—

Senator Conroy interjecting—

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Senator Macdonald and Senator Conroy.

Senator Wong interjecting—

Senator Kim Carr interjecting—

Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am talking about her comments in relation to South Australia. As I said, I do not accept at face value propositions put forward by those opposite in relation to operational matters of the ABC. How the board of the ABC responds to, and decides to implement, efficiencies is a matter for the board of the ABC. The decisions that the ABC will take are a matter for the board and the management.

Again, I come back to the proposition: are those opposite seriously suggesting that the ABC should be less efficient than they are able to be?

Anne McEwen (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. I refer to the departure of ABC journalists Karen Barlow, Jim Middleton and Sean Dorney. How many more journalists will be lost to the national broadcaster as a result of these additional cuts to the ABC?

Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I have already intimated in my previous answers, operational matters, including staffing matters, at the ABC are matters for the ABC and management. I have said it before and I will say it again: we on this side of the chamber make absolutely no apology for wanting all Australian government departments and agencies to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars. That is the purpose of the efficiency review for the ABC and SBS: to provide assistance to the board and management of the ABC and SBS to be the best managers they can be of scarce taxpayer resources.

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.