Liberals vote to privatise ABC, but Morrison says ‘no’

It’s been the national broadcaster for more than 80 years, but Liberal Party members have now voted to privatise the majority of the ABC.

Liberal members gathered in Sydney at the weekend for the party’s Federal Council, where they voted to sell off the ABC, except for in regional areas, according to an AAP report in The Australian.

The sell would mean the government would no longer have to shell out millions each year to fund the broadcaster’s influential television, radio and online divisions. Executives at the broadcaster are already reeling after the government delivered a $84 million hit to its funding in the May Budget, by way of a three-year freeze on its annual funding indexation.

However, despite the two-to-one majority vote in favour of privatisation, Federal Treasurer Scott Morrison has insisted the network will stay in government hands.

“The government has no plans to privatise the ABC,” Morrison told reporters on Saturday.

“I know some out there might think the Labor Party already owns it, but certainly not the government and it’s important that people understand that position.”

At the same meeting, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull called on Liberal MPs to use social media to avoid another ‘Mediscare’ incident, and referred to Opposition Leader Bill Shorten as the “enemy of aspiration” and the “enemy of investment”.

“That’s why it’s very important for all of us here and every party member and supporter to use all of the social media at your disposal,” Turnbull said.

“Make sure that those antidotes of fact – here are the facts, this is the record. Make sure they are distributed and shared so that people can see that Labor is lying, Labor cannot be trusted, and that our record on all of those essential services is absolutely strong.”

The meeting drew an angry response from senior Labor members, who rushed to criticise the vote to privatise the ABC.

Shorten told his 300,000 Twitter followers on Saturday to “vote Labor” and “watch us reverse Turnbull’s cuts to the ABC and keep it in public hands”.

While Senator Penny Wong said, “From cuts to privatisation, you can’t trust the Libs with your ABC”.

What are your thoughts on this? Do you think the government should sell off the ABC?