The Friends of the ABC have been holding rallies around Australia to protest the continual cutting of ABC funding, the ongoing harassment of a publicly trusted national institution and the latest Liberal Party move to sell off the ABC.
The Sydney rally on 9 July was attended by over 1200 people, with a strong participation by unions and community organisations.
A resolution in support of the ABC’s funding and independence was endorsed unanimously by the Sydney rally, with the suggestion that organisations adapt the motion to their own context.
The proposed motion for endorsement by the IEU is:
“As an education union, the IEU acknowledges the unique place of the ABC in the provision of quality educational, cultural and news content, the vital role of the ABC in regional and remote Australia, and the contribution of the ABC to Australia’s democracy and civil society.
“The IEU therefore calls upon the Turnbull Government to restore funding for the ABC to 2013 levels and to commit to future funding certainty for the ABC.
“We further call upon the government to implement policies to ensure the independent governance and operation of the ABC and also calls upon the leaders of all political parties to demonstrate their unequivocal support for these steps.
“The ABC must be well funded. It must have certainty of funding. It must be independent.”