Tony Abbott denies breaking promise on ABC, SBS.
"We never promised special treatment for the ABC or the SBS," Tony Abbott tells Parliament.
- Published by David Knox
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In Federal Parliament today Tony Abbott denied breaking a promise not to cut funding to the ABC and SBS, made prior to the election.
“This a government which has fundamentally kept faith, has fundamentally kept faith with the Australian people,” Tony Abbott said today.
“We are doing what the people elected us to do, to deliver the policies, to make the tough decisions that this country needed.
“Members opposite thought that the ABC was the one institution that shouldn’t be subject to an efficiency dividend. We think it should be subject to the efficiency dividend. The ABC should not be exempted from the kind of measures that are being applied to almost every other part of government,” he said.
“We never promised special treatment for the ABC or the SBS… I should point out to the member who asked the question that before the election the Treasurer, then the shadow treasurer, said very publicly of the ABC, ‘If there is waste we will cut it.'”
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten moved a censure motion the Prime Minister for breaking his promise.
Source: Fairfax
26 Responses
The worst part is the denial and the lying about the lies.
Watch this space, coming soon they will direct the ABC funding cuts to be directed at areas that specifically benefit Murdoch. Such as online news. As Newscorp wants to push News to a paid for privilege, not something that is free and essential for democracy.
With Gillard. She didn’t win the right to govern with a majority. Which makes a lot of things go out the window. That is democracy in action. She still was implementing the policy she intended. Just with a temporary carbon tax to move into an emissions trading scheme.
Abbott made clear unequivocal promises because no one trusted him. He ran his campaign on trust and so no one at all expected him to be so brazen as to be so dishonest. These lies to reassure people he isn’t as bad as they feared, or at least he’d be held to his word is what won him the…
@TV Talk – Good one! (Sarcasm)
@HardcorePrawn
Politics is largely about perceptions. That sound bite accompanied generally with rising power prices cost JG very dear. Then add in the ongoing internal undermining and a lack of charismatic leadership and the public voted in droves against the incumbents. Derservedly so in my view.
The ABC debate will have a minimal impact electorally, the budget debacle with uni fees, $7 doc payment, military pay….these will have a wider impact as they are hurting their own supporter base and many others
The Coalition government has under both Howard and Abbott been vengeful of the ABC and never wanted to engage in a constructive conversation to support it and make it work better. This is a great shame as most people who worked at or with the ABC soon realise that is a place that not only has enormous efficiency problems but creative content ones as well. Turnbull is right to say the ABC needs a separate CEO and an Editor In Chief as with the newspaper model. Jonathon Holmes agrees with this in his article in today’s Sydney Morning Herald. It is also a huge surprise that the ABC doesn’t have a Chief Financial Officer. The ABC under Scott has been more interested in quantity rather than quality, particularly in TV. But if it has to work in an environment where one side of politics smashes it and the other then does the repair work it is very hard to create a culture of continuing…
Exactly what I was thinking, Bazza, but would never have been able to write it so eloquently.
For those that still insist that Abbott is less of a liar than Gillard her full quote, edited by the LNP and their supporters on every occasion they use it, was: “There will be no Carbon Tax under a government I lead but let’s be very clear, I am determined to put a price on carbon”
I’m at a loss to see how that constitutes a lie or a broken promise when Abbott’s “no cuts to the ABC or SBS” isn’t.
As for the budget deficit, that’ll be the one that has blown out under the LNP’s watch at the same time as they have scrapped two existing taxes.
Abbott v ABC and their loyal listeners. Me thinks Abbott is the loser!!
He brought it upon himself and it was fantastic to see Bill Shorten hammer that point home in Question Time Yesterday. Abbott actually looked very uncomfortable and I bet he wished he could have been anywhere else but on national TV listening to the attack.
@oceanographer
There’s a small problem with what you’re saying…
First up, Tony has lied about every single pre-election promise, not just about the ABC (no cuts to pensions, education, health, etc). He has also now lied in Parliament about not lying. So far the only promise he hasn’t backflipped on is the GST and that’s looking shaky. So his dishonesty has affected every Australian in some way.
Julia didn’t actually lie about an emissions tax, she just didn’t implement it as she’d earlier indicated she may. In any event, it affected almost nobody, as we’ve clearly seen… Given that the repeal of the Carbon Tax has seen either tiny, or zero, rebates to consumers.
@William,
Do a little research. There is not and never has been any “budget emergency”. Even Joe Hockey has admitted this in recent weeks. It was a ruse by the LNP to make ideological changes.
Anyone who has worked for the ABC will tell you there are too many people employed for the amount of work. I spent most of my time asking my boss for something to do…he once told me to go to a movie. There are great people who work behind the scenes but I found the culture very much a lazy entitlement.
Efficiency dividend…..mmmm…..cuts really
A blatant broken promise, but unlikely to have the electoral impact of Julia Gillard’s carbon tax disaster
@William But why did he lie before the election? Just to get elected and then do as he pleases? That’s what makes him Phony Tony.
Julia Gilliard’s broken promise had a broader impact on the general population. The only people who upset at Tony Abbott’s broken promise are ABC staff and loyal ABC viewers. Everyone else couldn’t care less about it.
Throw this Mongrel out after one term
Mr Abbot, your pants are on fire.
After the bile he hurled at Gillard, the hypocrisy of this man is staggering. And disgusting.
Where are all the misogynists and ratbags who were frothing at the mouth as they shouted “Juliar” because Gillard’s hand was forced by the Greens into introducing a carbon tax instead of an ETS?
Nobody forced Abbott to state on the eve of the election that there would be no cuts to either the ABC or SBS, and nobody forced him to renege on those promises. I wonder if Alan Jones, man of reason and balance, will soon be suggesting that our current PM be put in a chaff bag and dropped out at sea.
I’m shocked, a politician lied!
“before the election the Treasurer, then the shadow treasurer, said very publicly of the ABC, ‘If there is waste we will cut it.'”
And the leader (i.e. him) said the total opposite on the eve of the election. He needs to take responsibility that it is his words, not anybody else’s, that has brought him and his party undone.
Maybe he thought by saying that promise on SBS that nobody would notice it.
Agree with you J Bar, he should be re-named Phony Tony, not the best person to be running a country.
I still recall, with laughter, the absurdity of John Howard and his “core promises and non-core promises” and how it was OK to break ‘non-core promises’, as classified as such by…John Howard.
And those quaint polywaffle terms “efficiency dividend”.
@J Bar @Jock – I would prefer if he got the budget back on track then ending up like euro countries and having the future generations to pay it off and I wouldn’t like it as it would put a lot of strain on the family because of the ALP as they are that hopeless at financing. Yes he can blame someone for this mess and that was KRuddd and Juliar as they were giving out money like candies which were extremely uncalled for and look where it has got us in a huge pile of debt. God help us if ALP gets in at the next election as we would most definitely end up like Greece
Abbot broke the promise in May when they cut the ABC funding in the budget. Apparently a $40m cut over 4 years (not $120m) didn’t break the promise but a $254m over 5 years does.
It’s just politics 101. You never admit to breaking a promise because is to produce the negative ads you opponent will use to beat you up. So you just obfuscate with nonsense and press on, whether you broke a promise or not, or whatever the facts or reasons.
Tony abbott is a lair if he denies breaking his promise .anyone can go on the SBS website and watch the footage which clearly shows the PM telling fibs. one week prior to the election Tony Abbott clearly says there will be no cuts to the ABC ..there is no mistake . The PM lied to the people just like Julia Gillard did .only Tony abbott lie is worse .
Phony Tony has broken more promises than any prime minister in Australia’s history.
At least Julia Gillard had the Greens to blame for her broken promise. Toni has nobody to blame for this mess but himself.