Liberal Senator, Eric Abetz has called on the ABC to explain how it can afford its new multi million dollar project ABC Life.

Senator Abetz says the millions of dollars the ABC will spend on a new lifestyle website requires a full explanation.
 
“The ABC can’t keep having it both ways. They can’t keep crying poor then magically pull millions of dollars out of thin air for their pet projects.”

ABC Life will cover topics  including work and career, sex and relationships, fashion and personal grooming, travel and adventure, food and cooking, home and family, and pets.

The ABC’s chief finance and strategy officer Louise Higgins told The Guardian that ABC Life is like what is already available on ABC local radio. “Australians trust the ABC, not just on the hard-hitting news, but they trust us to tell them about the broader things that matter in their lives, free of commercial influence,” Higgins said. “There is no dumbing down here. We have always told Australians about things that matter to them,” she said.

The ABC expects ABC Life to be in direct competition with the content on commercial sites.

Senator Abetz says: “There has been absolutely no case made by the ABC for this new lifestyle, relationships, food, travel and fashion website. Taxpayers will be horrified to learn that the ABC is trying to compete with a whole new market which is already more than adequately serviced.”

Macquarie Media’s Mark Carnegie was asked to comment for this story but did not respond by the time of publication.