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Just remember that this was a commercial agreement between DFAT and the ABC – nothing to do with the ABC’s Charter obligations or funding.
Unfortunately, the numnuts that run the ABC then amalgamated the commercial and charter responsibilities into one. Now they are bleating “cuts in funding”. What an absolute crock. If they wanted to they could easily reduce some of the obscene overspending in other areas and maintain a better overseas service, but they choose not to because it suits them to make political capital of it at the expense of long-term, full-time staff who don’t “fit” with the current management’s view of what the ABC should be.
Maybe the name should change at the same time from the ABC – Australian Broadcasting Corporation – to the SNO – Sydney News Organisation.