ABC and SBS not for sale, says Tony Abbott, but he wants them well run

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/23/abbott-rules-out-selling-abc

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The ABC and SBS will not be sold, Tony Abbott says, although he argues Australia’s two public broadcasters must be well managed and well run.

With the government’s new commission of audit putting privatisation back on the political agenda, a radio listener asked the prime minister on Wednesday whether he had any plans to sell the public broadcasters.

Abbott replied he had no such plans. He said there were different arguments against the sale.

“Some would say they are cultural icons. Some would say there is only a limited advertising market so why flood the market with more advertisers and drive others out of business, or compromise the already shaky profitability of free-to-air broadcasters,” the prime minister said.

But he said it was important the two broadcasters “be as well managed as possible, that they be as well run as possible”.

“The new government will do its best to make sure that’s the case,” Abbott said.

The public broadcasters have been bracing for budget cuts with the return of a Coalition government. They also battle ongoing arguments from some critics about bias.

The Institute of Public Affairs favours privatisation of the ABC on the basis of it being a viable commercial entity. Australia’s commercial media companies have been critical about the ABC and SBS competing unfairly, particularly in the digital space, by giving their audiences extensive and free online coverage.

This free and comprehensive national coverage makes it more difficult for commercial media companies to raise revenue from their news services, or put up paywalls requiring readers to pay for subscriptions.

Asked on Wednesday whether the broadcasters should be required to be fair, as well as well run, the prime minister said the Australian media exhibited distinct and different views of the world.

“Every politician sometimes feels that he or she has been hard done by, whether it’s at the hands of the ABC or sometimes, perhaps Neil, here on 3AW. We sometimes feel hard done by,” Abbott said.

“I think it’s true at times there is an ABC/Sydney Morning Herald/Age view of the world if you like. That said, there is probably also a Daily Telegraph/Herald Sun view of the world – and it might be rather different.”

But the prime minister said this sort of diversity and plurality was part of inhabiting a liberal democracy. “In a robust democracy like ours, thank God, there are a multitude of different voices,” he said.

“For a politician like me on the ABC, the important thing is to have a good argument, and make it as best you can.”

Various studies and inquiries have shown Australia has one of the most concentrated media ownership environments in the developed world, particularly in the print media, where News Corp is the dominant player.

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