The surge in electoral support for One Nation is part of a global phenomenon. It’s a consequence of decades of neoliberal economic and social policies which have undermined living standards for working people and led to a rapid rise in inequality. The explosion of social media and reliance by many on it as their primary source of information has accelerated the spread of misinformation and exacerbated political and social tensions.
Pauline Hanson and her powerful backers in business and media propose abolishing the SBS (along with multiculturalism) and defunding the ABC or turning it into a subscriber service. The rise in support for One Nation is a threat to the survival of public broadcasting in Australia, as it is to so much of what we treasure about Australia.
A fearless, independent ABC that is free for all Australians is worth fighting for — but that freedom is under threat. Sign our petition to reject calls to defund the ABC and force it onto a subscription model that would price out the Australians who need it most.
Thomas Mayo, in his lead article in this month’s The Monthly, discusses the threats posed to our democracy and society by the surge in right-wing populism, misinformation and inequality. (Entitled For the Love of Country, Mayo’s article is available here: Mayo – For the Love of Country).
Mayo makes suggestions about how we might respond. He has some specific criticism of the role the media is playing in our growing crisis and argues that we need to rebuild ‘the infrastructure of truth’. His comments about the role that should be played by the ABC are particularly pertinent:-
One of the ways the government could empower honest media to do this [rebuild the infrastructure of truth] is to act to reinforce the national broadcaster’s capacity and independence. Restore the ABC so it is once again a respected, fierce and unapologetic source of truth for all ages. And enable it to increase resourcing in regional and remote bureaus, so it can bring local issues to light.
Beyond that, we need a media system that is not owned by and operated at the whim of a few billionaires. That means supporting community-owned and not-for-profit outlets, local papers, First Nations media, and new models of independent journalism through grants, tax concessions and fair access to distribution platforms. We need truth-telling to flourish even when it is not profitable.
The Albanese Government has stabilised the ABC’s funding after the cuts imposed by the Abbott, Turnbull and Morrison Governments. But the ABC’s operational budget is still 12% below what it was in 2013-14 (before the Abbott Government cuts) and 30% below what it was in the 1980s. As Mayo makes clear, the risks posed by misinformation and right-wing populism for our democracy and society are too high to be playing games. The ABC must be adequately funded to do its job properly – as a trusted source of information, to facilitate factually-informed and respectful debate, and as a place where Australians can speak to and entertain each other.