Cassandra Parkinson is the National President of ABC Friends in Australia, a position she has held since August 2022. She is a prominent advocate for public broadcasting, campaigning for increased ABC funding, independent board appointments, and the restoration of high-quality services, particularly in the lead-up to the 2025 federal election.
Cassandra Parkinson
News
Statement regarding the attack on Helen Haines
ABC Friends is shocked and dismayed by the attack on Helen Haines, the federal member for Indi.
Why Australian media should boycott One Nation press conferences
On 3 October 2026 Pauline Hanson’s One Nation held a press conference to launch its campaign for the Victorian state election. Once again One Nation barred the ABC and the Guardian from attending. We know why they did t…
Impartiality or a question of balance?
Australia’s media regulator, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has found that the ABC breached its impartiality rules in a 2025 Four Corners episode about the redevelopment of the Australian War Memoria…
Banning the ABC: an exercise in Trumpian censorship
From Trump's White House media bans to One Nation excluding the ABC from press conferences, Cassandra Parkinson examines the growing threats to press freedom in Australia and the US.
ABC Friends 2026 Magazine
We have been working to uphold and promote the vital role of the ABC as a national public media organisation since 1976.
What future for Indigenous programming at the ABC?
The ABC plans to scrap its dedicated Indigenous department, raising concerns over the loss of independent decision-making for First Nations program makers. ABC Friends National President Cassandra Parkinson responds.