Write a Letter to Your Representatives in Parliament
Write a letter to your representatives in Parliament asking them, whatever their political party, what they will do to support the ABC’s bid for adequate funds for the 2006–09 period. Will they ask a question in Parliament? Will they make a speech in an adjournment or a grievance debate? (when individual MPs can raise any issues they like). And ask them if they will send you a copy of anything they say in Parliament.
- To Coalition Members of Parliament ask them whether they will speak to the Minister for Communications, to the Prime Minister, to backbench committees to urge that the ABC gets the funds it will be requesting for the next May budget.
- To Senators who are on the SENATE ESTIMATES Committee which investigates the ABC, ask them to pursue with the Minister and with ABC management what the financial needs of the ABC are, and why those needs are critical.
Ask all your political representatives if they are aware that this is a critical time for the ABC’s funding. Do they know what the ABC has asked for in its funding submission for 2006–09? Do they realize that the $792 million, which the Minister quotes as evidence that the ABC is not under-funded, is about $250 million less in real terms than the ABC had 20 years ago? And what action are they taking?
Write to your local member, the Senators in your State or Territory, write to the Prime Minister, the Minister of Communications and the Shadow Minister of Communications. In particular, write to your Senators who are on the SENATE ESTIMATES Committee. Senate Estimates is an opportunity for questioning of ABC management and of the Minister. Hearings are held in February, May, and October. Committee members can use the questions passed on to them—and this Committee has a number of new members since July 2005. Names in bold do participate, the others don’t—but they might if pressed! Senator George Campbell asks questions about staffing matters (e.g. bullying, code of conduct).
Members
| Liberal Members: | Senator Eggleston (Chair) (WA Lib), |
| Senator Ronaldson (Vic Lib—new member of this Committee), | |
| Senator Santoro (Queensland Lib)—a well-known critic of the ABC) | |
| ALP Members: | Senator Lundy (Deputy Chair) (ACT ALP), |
| Senator Stephen Conroy (Shadow Communications Minister) | |
| Senator Dana Wortley (SA ALP—a new Senator in 2005) | |
| Greens: | Senator Brown (Tas Green)—a new member of this Committee). |
Participating members
| WA: | Senators Chris Evans (ALP), Lightfoot (Lib), Webber (ALP) |
| VIC: | Senators Allison (Democrats), Carr (ALP), McGauran (Lib), Ray (ALP) |
| TAS: | Senators Abetz (Lib), Colbeck (Lib), O’Brien (ALP), Watson (Lib) |
| SA: | Senators Chapman (Lib), Ferguson (Lib), Ferris (Lib), Wong (ALP) |
| QU: | Senators Bartlett (Democrats), Joyce (Nats), Boswell (Nat), Hogg (ALP), Ludwig (ALP), Mason (Lib), McLucas (ALP), Moore (ALP), |
| NT: | Senator Crossin (ALP) |
| NSW: | Senators George Campbell (ALP), Coonan (Lib), Faulkner (Lab), Forshaw (ALP), Heffernan (Lib), Nettle (Greens), Nash (Nats), Fierravanti-Wells (Lib) |
| ACT: | Humphries (Lib) |
Addresses
Write to your Senator or Member of the House of Representatives, at:
Parliament House
Canberra, ACT 260
Email (include your postal address) to your Senators as, e.g.
Senator.humphries@aph.gov.au
or to your Member of the House of Representatives as, e.g.
Bob.McMullan.MP@aph.gov.au
For more on writing letters, see also the page Writing Your Letter on the No ABC? No Way! website.
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