Extract from Friends of the ABC Newsletter
There has been growing concern in Canberra, resulting in a Government Inquiry, at the loss of Australian presence and influence in our region, and the growing presence and influence of China, especially in the Pacific. This can be linked directly to the silencing of the ABC in the Region.Until 2014, our ABC provided world news, current affairs, entertainment and, most importantly, emergency information and bulletins via TV (Australia Network) and radio (Radio Australia) using a short wave signal that was reliable, even when the cyclones raged.
Short wave radio could be received on a small radio costing $100 or less, even on the most remote Pacific islands. The service was cut by our Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (under Julie Bishop), despite the pleas from Pacific leaders that it be retained. Extraordinarily, the BBC simultaneously expanded its service to Asia and the Pacific, with a further £100m from its budget, and Chinese media have moved in to fill the vacuum created by Australia’s withdrawal by their taking over all the bands used by the ABC to broadcast.
We must elect a government that will restore this essential service to our neighbours, and raise Australia’s profile again.
There has been growing concern in Canberra, resulting in a Government Inquiry, at the loss of Australian presence and influence in our region, and the growing presence and influence of China, especially in the Pacific. This can be linked directly to the silencing of the ABC in the Region.Until 2014, our ABC provided world news, current affairs, entertainment and, most importantly, emergency information and bulletins via TV (Australia Network) and radio (Radio Australia) using a short wave signal that was reliable, even when the cyclones raged.
Short wave radio could be received on a small radio costing $100 or less, even on the most remote Pacific islands. The service was cut by our Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (under Julie Bishop), despite the pleas from Pacific leaders that it be retained. Extraordinarily, the BBC simultaneously expanded its service to Asia and the Pacific, with a further £100m from its budget, and Chinese media have moved in to fill the vacuum created by Australia’s withdrawal by their taking over all the bands used by the ABC to broadcast.
We must elect a government that will restore this essential service to our neighbours, and raise Australia’s profile again.
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