The May Federal Budget contained no base funding increase for the national broadcaster, which the Friends of the ABC says will cause the national broadcaster to “slip further behind” as the result of the failure to keep up with increased costs.

Friends of the ABC (Vic) spokesperson Glenys Stradijot has told radioinfo:

“It is disappointing that the new Labor Government has failed even to begin to address the ABC’s funding inadequacy. Although the ABC is funded on a triennial basis, there is nothing to prevent the present government from increasing ABC funding part way into the broadcaster’s triennial funding round… The last government showed no hesitation in cutting the ABC’s funds mid-triennium.

“The Rudd Government is aware that the ABC is seriously under-funded just to maintain its existing depleted operations. Leaks from the 2006 KPMG report, commissioned by the Howard government, provided a scathing assessment of funding levels and said funding after indexation needed to rise $48.1 million in 2008-09 in order for the ABC ‘to sustain its present outputs’.”

Repeats on ABC 1 have doubled in the past ten years. The level of first-run Australian drama on the national broadcaster last year was one-tenth of that which commercial networks are required to screen to maintain local culture according to FABC.

“The ABC Board looks to be placing its focus for ABC funding on next year’s federal budget, which is the beginning of the ABC’s new funding triennium. That’s a risky strategy, particularly if pressure on the government to cut public expenditure turns out to increase by then,” says Stradijot.

The ABC did, however, receive additional special funding for digital radio and the expansion of the NewsRadio network (see other story).