Fed: Labor wants funding boost for ABC

AAP General News (Australia)
04-26-2001
Fed: Labor wants funding boost for ABC

CANBERRA, April 26 AAP - Labor is calling for more ABC funding in the May 22 federal
Budget as the government continues to take flak over a leaked Cabinet document showing
a range of planned cuts.

Although funding for the ABC was not touched on in the leaked document, Opposition
communications spokesman Stephen Smith said previous cuts to ABC funding had affected
the amount of first-run television content available to the national broadcaster.

"Put simply, the ABC's funding is inadequate," Mr Smith said.

"If this issue is not addressed in the forthcoming budget, the ABC may soon reach crisis point."

The cuts were revealed in a photocopy of a detailed briefing paper to Prime Minister
John Howard make public by the ALP.

It shows changes to programs across portfolios already decided by Cabinet's Expenditure
Review Committee and outlines areas where decisions may raise concerns.

The government has said it will maintain a budget surplus.

Meanwhile, a key youth diabetes organisation said possible increases to the cost of
needles and blood-test strips would result in more young diabetics dying.

The 4,000 members of youth diabetes group Reality Check said they were appalled at
reports the federal government planned to push up the cost of syringes and other essential
items for people with diabetes.

"The inevitable result of such a strategy will be to increase the number of people
dying young from kidney failure, heart disease and strokes," Reality Check founder Kate
Gilbert said.

AAP kjp/cjh/sb

KEYWORD: BUDGET DAYLEAD

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