2023 budget delivers 5 year funding cycle for public broadcasters as Albanese Government promises to ‘safeguard democracy’
Last night’s 2023 federal budget had little in store for Australia’s media and marketing sector, however the Government did bolster its commitment to a diverse and sustainable media environment.
The Albanese Government delivered on its election promise of moving to five-year funding terms for the national broadcasters, though there was no significant boost to the annual funding, $1.1 billion allocated to the ABC annually, and $334.9 million for SBS.
The national broadcasters will receive a further $72 million over four years to roll previously terminated programs into ongoing funding. Those programs include ABC Enhanced News Gathering, supporting journalism jobs in regional bureaus; SBS Media Sector Support, providing news and content to Australians who speak a language other than English; and ABC and SBS Audio Description, to make screen content more accessible.
$5 million in funding has also been provided to the Australian Associated Press to support the newswire service while the government’s new program, News Media Assistance Program, which promises to lay the foundations for principled, targeted and evidenced-based support for the news media sector.
Lisa Davies, AAP chief executive said it looked forward to working with the government on the NewsMAP program and continuing its “vital contribution to a diverse media landscape that serves all communities, including in rural and regional areas”.
The office of minister for communications, Michelle Rowland has positioned the communications sector budget as “connecting, informing and protecting Australians”, with funding also directed towards a number of initiatives designed to combat scams as well as misinformation and disinformation.
“The Albanese Government recognises that a sustainable media sector is central to keeping Australians connected, and to support the resilience of our democracy by holding power to account,” read a release sent by the Minister’s office.
The ABC has welcomed the “new funding certainty” offered by the extended funding term, with ABC managing director, David Anderson, stating that it reflected the ABC’s “important role in Australian life and the value it delivers to the community”.
“The funding provides a solid foundation as the ABC continues to evolve its services to meet the needs of Australian audiences. The next five years will be crucial to the ABC as we navigate significant changes in media consumption, industry-wide cost pressures and increasing requirements to modernise and adapt to new technology.
“The funding certainty provided by the Budget is vital, as it enables the ABC to plan with confidence. Notwithstanding the five-year funding outcome, the ABC will need to meet the challenge of upward cost pressure, and position itself to continue to be trusted, relevant and valued by all Australians into the future.
He concluded: “I will soon announce a new Five-Year Plan setting out the ABC’s priorities. The plan will ensure that we embrace the opportunities of the future, and that the ABC remains the most important cultural institution for all Australians.”
In a statement a SBS spokesperson added: “SBS welcomes the continuity and stability which the five-year funding model provides, ensuring that we are able to keep delivering our vital services for all Australians and especially multilingual and First Nations communities.
“We also welcome the decision to continue and incorporate existing funding for language services and audio description into our base funding, in recognition of the value these services bring to audiences across Australia.”
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