ABC3: 3 is for kids

The new digital channel ABC3 is a reality now that Kevin Rudd has literally switched it on, but it didn’t happen overnight. It was a long, painful birth, but one that will offer Australian children- and producers- an entire world of content.

The seeds for ABC3 were planted by Jenny Buckland, the executive director of the Australian Children’s Television Foundation (ACTF) in 2006. Like a Dickensian ghost of TV future, Buckland presented ABC TV director Kim

Dalton with a grim yet plausible vision: Australian children would grow up watching primarily imported or adult content unless the public broadcaster followed the steps of many of its international counterparts and launched a dedicated children’s channel.