ABC Alumni
Peter Marks and Gael Jennings, Victorian members of the ABC Alumni Board, report on the ongoing fight for a strong ABC.
It’s been a busy few months for ABC Alumni as we advocate for the independence of our ABC, and keep fighting for the funds needed by the ABC to provide the immeasurable value to our lives that she does.
One huge source of funds to the ABC, now under threat, has been the estimated millions of dollars flowing from Meta (Facebook) and Google since 2021, when the Australian government passed a “world-first” mandatory news bargaining code law. This forced the global tech giants to pay for the news content created here, which Meta and Google had been using for free, thus exponentially building their wealth.
The ABC utilised the news bargaining code funds to support regional and rural public interest journalism, which has employed some extra 60 workers in Charleville, Batemans Bay, Warragul, Carnarvon, Hervey Bay, Gladstone, Whyalla, Northam, Swan Hill and Victor Harbour. The ABC also applied the new money to boost reporting numbers in nine existing bureaux in Horsham, Burnie, Dubbo, Wagga Wagga, Katherine, Esperance, Karratha, Longreach and Toowoomba.
But in 2024 Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg said they wouldn’t use Australian news and so wouldn’t renew deals. The Albanese government is revising the law under a “News Bargaining Incentive”, due early 2026. AI reports that the government plans to enforce a 2.25% revenue levy on tech platforms (Google, Meta, etc.) unless they negotiate payment to Australian news creators.
ABC Alumni has lodged a strong submission to this News Bargaining Incentive.Â
In preparation for the 2026 Federal budget, we have also prepared a pre-budget submission. https://www.abcalumni.au/2026_pre_budget_submission
Why is it a good time to press for funding of the ABC?
Arguably, with the electoral failure of the anti-ABC Dutton led opposition, (he referred to the ABC and The Guardian as “hate media” in April 2025), there isn’t a better time for a Government to affirm their support of Public Broadcasting.
In our submission, to ensure the ABC can meet its legislated policy role, the ABC Alumni recommended the following budget actions:
- Additional ABC funding for emergency media services
- Additional ABC funding to extend regional and local media
- Adjust the formula and increase the rate of indexation applied to ABC operational funding
- Extend international media funding for the ABC at a rate of $20 million annually, plus indexation.
While there have been some recent increases in ABC funding, over the long term there has been a significant decline as a proportion of total budget outlays.
Media consumption is at a turning point right now. The ABC lead in digital video, in the form of the iview platform, and its leadership in audio Podcasts, has set them up well for the new reality.
This month Edison Research reports that for the first time podcasts have a bigger audience than talk radio in the US.
The popular podcast “The Rest is Politics” mentioned this week that their post Iran attack episode had over a million listeners. Past US TV late night host Conan O’Brien has said that he has a larger audience now than he had on his syndicated nightly TV show.
The independence of the ABC is always under attack, and ABC Alumni is always fighting for it.
The horrific killings at Bondi triggered a re-emergence of the proposal by the Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism, Ms Jillian Segal AO, to monitor and advise on the output of Public Broadcasters. Segal is an advisor to the Royal Commission and we have put in a submission protesting the likelihood of external editorial interference.
Read ABC Alumni’s Submission to the Royal CommissionÂ
The ABC is in the right place but needs support to continue to reach the modern audience and fulfil its obligations without fear or favour.
Peter Marks and Gael Jennings, ABC Alumni Board
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