The Minister for Communications and the Arts has announced efficiency reviews for both the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS).
The Minister, Senator Mitch Fifield said the review would support the organisations to identify best public broadcasting practice.
“The ABC and SBS are vital public news and cultural institutions that are an important underpinning of media diversity and represent a major Commonwealth contribution to civic journalism,” Senator Fifield said.
“In the fast-evolving world of media organisations, it is important to support our public broadcasters to be the best possible stewards of taxpayer dollars in undertaking their important work for the community.”
He said the review would assist the broadcasters as they approached the next funding triennium through which more than $3.9 billion would be provided from July 2019.
Senator Fifield said the review would be conducted by Peter Tonagh (pictured) and Richard Bean, assisted by the Department of Communications and the Arts in cooperation with the ABC and SBS.
Mr Tonagh is a former Chief Executive of Foxtel and Mr Bean is a former Acting Chair of the Australian Communications and Media Authority.
A spokesperson for SBS told the media industry website Mumbrella that the efficiency review was another opportunity for SBS to demonstrate it had a long-ingrained culture of efficiency and maximising the value of its unique services to the Australian community.
“Just as SBS is participating in the current Competitive Neutrality Review, we will participate in this latest efficiency review noting the Lewis Efficiency Study in 2014 found that SBS is an extremely efficient and effective organisation,” the spokesperson said.
The reviewers are due to report back to the Minister in October.
