The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) has unveiled a five-year plan setting out responses to budget cuts while protecting its independence and Charter responsibilities.
Outlining the plan, ABC Managing Director David Anderson (pictured) said it would guide the Corporation: “As we continue to transform from a traditional broadcaster to the nation’s most trusted and valued digital content provider across all platforms”.
Mr Anderson said proposed savings initiatives aligned with the five-year plan would ensure the ABC was more relevant to more Australians with a greater focus on accessibility and the on-demand digital services that audiences now expected.
He said the Government’s indexation pause which cut the ABC’s budget by $84 million over three years, combined with an ongoing reduction of $41 million a year from 2022 and on top of $64 million in ongoing cuts imposed in 2014, it was inevitable that there would be difficult decisions affecting jobs and services.
“We anticipate we will farewell as many as 250 people through this process, valued colleagues who have made tremendous contributions to the ABC and to our audiences,” he said.
“The proposed savings initiatives include giving ABC Life a new editorial direction and name, ABC Local, sourcing content from across the ABC, including outer suburban and regional areas.”
He said there would be a greater focus on digital and on-demand news services, including discontinuing the 7.45am broadcast-only radio news bulletin and shifting the focus to provide news across all audio platforms.
Mr Anderson said independent production would be cut, predominately from the factual and entertainment slate, with the ABC prioritising investment in drama and children’s programming.
He said the Corporation had also reduced travel budgets by 25 per cent, with a greater reliance on technology to connect the workforce.
The ABC’s 42-page Five-year Plan 2020-2025 can be accessed at this PS News link.
