Hosted by ABC Friends, a rally held yesterday in Sydney marked the start of a ‘national campaign’ to defend the ABC as ‘an independent and trusted source of news, information and entertainment for generations of Australians’.

Speakers included Kerry O’Brien, Magda Szubanski, Philip Adams and Tom Keneally, with actor Hugo Weaving (pictured) who recently won the ‘Most Outstanding Actor’ Logie for ABC series ‘Seven Types of Ambiguity, snapped among the crowd. 

ABC Friends reports that about 1200 people attended the rally at the NSW Teachers’ Federation Auditorium yesterday, with the 400-seat space quickly filled, and a second area opened for the overflow crowd who watched the proceedings via TV screens. 

The event was the first in a series of rallies across Australia, with the next to be held in Melbourne on 15 July. 

  _{(Photo: Wendy McLeod facebook)}