"Helen Coonan was the Liberal Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts in 2007 until Labor took office. According to a Helen Coonan press release, the 2007-2008 “base funding” for the ABC is $543.5 million. The ABS[Aust Bureau of Statistics] has Australia’s population, at the time of writing, of 21,034,000; that makes for $25.84 a year each, or 7.1 cents a day. Which is where the 8 cents a day claim came from. According to Turnbull today, the ABC's funding is now $1.2bn. That is a 120.8% increase in 7 years of mainly Government funding. While commercial TV and Radio stations have been cutting costs, shedding staff and reducing services, the ABC has been competing against them with tax payers money, dramatically increasing staff and services including online.
The 121% increase in funding represents a 12% pa compound annual growth rate in funding. It is no wonder ABC employees love Labor. There may be another area of Government funding which has ramped up so dramatically, while inflation has averaged under 3%pa, but I can't think of one. Maybe renewable energy subsidies - but certainly no Government departments.
So having had a 121% rise in funding over 7 years they are now having to find a 5% cut. It shouldn't be too hard! "
