Your MP is invited. SAVE THE ABC

Hi NEVILLE,

Another efficiency study into the ABC, another predictable result:

“The ABC’s news department is not over-resourced, according to Malcolm Turnbull’s review into whether the broadcaster and SBS could work more efficiently.”¹

In fact, the most glaringly obvious inefficiency regarding the ABC in recent years surely must be the time and resources wasted on frequent, duplicative and unjustified inquiries into the broadcaster. It doesn’t matter how many they do, the result is always the same: the ABC is not only doing its job as our trusted public broadcaster, it’s doing it on a shoestring budget.

But Australians already know this, which is exactly why hundreds of thousands of us have been fighting so hard to protect the ABC’s creative, iconic, dependable, independent and unbiased content; and prevent the foreshadowed cuts in the upcoming Budget.

Now, in these critical few days before Budget, we need to be louder than ever. What does that sound like?

• It sounds like sharing the 247,000 signature-strong GetUp member petition to make sure as many as your friends, family and networks are given the opportunity to stand up and show our leaders that Australians won’t stand for Tony Abbott breaking his election promise not to cut funds to our ABC.

• Writing to your MP before Tuesday, urging them to fight for a fully-funded ABC, and asking them to come along and accept the petition on behalf of your electorate in Canberra at 11am on budget day

• It looks like a big, bold visual in support of protecting the ABC on the lawns of Parliament Lawns on Budget day – all thanks to you!

Can you help? Click here to email your MP to invite them along to the event, and share the campaign: https://www.getup.org.au/email-your-mp

We’ve already shown that breaking promises with our ABC is not a gamble worth taking. In the last fortnight alone:

• Nearly 4000 GetUp people turned up in Sydney and Melbourne for a huge snap action. Their message was simple: we will not allow Tony Abbott get away with breaking his core pre-election promise to protect our ABC’s funding.

• More than 1800 GetUp members turned out to self-organised, grassroots petition deliveries in 61 electorates across the country. They hit the streets with their neighbours to deliver our 246,000 signature-strong (and still growing!) petition to their local MPs.

• Right now, a member-funded, hard-hitting TV ad is running – right up until budget – reminding Mr Abbott that Australians won’t stand for him going back on his word.

The campaign is still escalating, the petition is still growing, now we just need to bring it home. We’ll make sure our message is seen by our political leaders by staking the thousands of messages written by GetUp members on the lawns of Parliament on Budget Day. Will you invite your MP to join GetUp members there on the lawns next Tuesday?

https://www.getup.org.au/email-your-mp

Our ABC belongs to all Australians. It’s our most trusted, independent public broadcaster and it’s one that GetUp members have proven time and time again is worth fighting for.

Whatever happens on Budget day, the fight is far from over. We know that the right-wing factions of the government have been chomping at the bit to defund, privatise and otherwise water down our ABC for years now. We know they’ll stop at nothing to make crippling cuts disguised as “efficiency savings”.

But the good news is that just last week Tony Abbott told us we “shouldn’t assume that every decision has been made and the Budget is finalised”, which means there’s still time to intervene. Let’s give them a compelling case for protecting our ABC, and give it all we’ve got in these critical final days.

Let’s bring this one home,

Erin, Alycia and Kelsey, for the GetUp team

PS – On Budget day, we’ll be taking hand-written messages straight to our politicians in Canberra, and making them a part of a huge visual delivery to the lawns of Parliament House. Keen to be a part of it? Check out some of the best messages below, or see the whole gallery and submit your own here: https://www.getup.org.au/abc-messages

“it’s an invaluable link for young people in rural areas” – Chris, NSW
“It’s my heritage” – Lachlan, QLD
“A strong, healthy, creative democratic Australia MUST have a strong, healthy, creative national broadcaster.” – Steven, NSW
“It has our back. Progressive, ground-breaking…and feels like home.” – Diana, WA
“The ABC promotes Australian music and original content more than any other institution.” – Mandy, Victoria
“A viewpoint that does not answer to anyone but the people of Australia is a vital part of our democracy.” – Judith, NSW

~ References ~

[1] ABC news department not over-resourced, Coalition review finds, The Guardian Australia, Wednesday 7 May 2014

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