ABC Your Say will launch next Monday July 20, to connect with communities across the country and giving Australians a chance to have a say on the issues, challenges and opportunities shaping your lives.

Running for eight weeks, ABC Your Say will see News and Audio teams connect with people all over the country to hear to ensure the broadcaster reflects the diversity and character of the nation.

The initiative first was heard during the 2025 federal election, when tens of thousands of Australians engaged with the ABC to ask questions and identify the issues of greatest concern to them before they voted.

This year’s discussions will help shape the ABC’s journalism, from editorial commissioning and investigations to interviews with decision-makers and stories that reflect diverse voices.

Donna Field, ABC Director News, said:

“At a time when trust matters more than ever, ABC Your Say reinforces the ABC’s role as a public broadcaster that listens as well as reports — bringing Australians directly into the national conversation and reflecting what matters most to them.”

You can take part in ABC Your Say across digital platforms. Local radio stations will be out in community, listening to local voices and facilitating conversations and ABC News Breakfast will also hit the road as part of a national tour about the issues that matter most.

Every Friday morning, beginning in Newcastle, ABC News Breakfast will host a community event in partnership with local ABC teams, connecting with audiences and hearing directly from the people who live there.

The initiative comes after the ABC’s digital app ABC Listen was forced off air this morning July 16 for about a half hour.

Hamish Macdonald told his ABC Radio Sydney morning listeners:

“It was down earlier, it is now back up and running, we’re told, the ABC is investigating the cause of the outage.”