ABC Chair Ita Buttrose has expressed a desire for more diverse voices on the national broadcaster.

Speaking to ABC Radio Melbourne host Rafael Epstein yesterday she was asked whether the ABC was guilty of being biased.

“Sometimes I think we might be biased. I think sometimes we could do with more diversity of views,” she replied.

“I haven’t got a problem with anybody’s view but I think we need to make sure ours is as diverse as we can make it

“Sometimes I think, people without really knowing it, let a bias show through. We can all do that.

“The way we can deflect the critics that love to give us a tough time is by having a wider viewpoint.

“The more diverse views that we can represent, the better it will be for us.”

Asked how to address concerns if the government keeps saying the ABC is too biased to the left, she said, “I don’t ever think we should we should start to think about what they might say. We don’t we just wait and see what they do say?”

“I wouldn’t be nervous at all,” Ms Buttrose said. “There are many ways of achieving savings, you know. It’s not just people.”

Buttrose and managing director David Anderson are hoping to meet with new Minister for Communications Paul Fletcher and hopefully Prime Minister Scott Morrison to address ABC funding.

A three-year freeze to the ABC’s annual funding indexation was announced in 2018, set to cost the broadcaster $83.7 million. Under the re-elected Coalition Government, the cut will come into effect at the start of the 2019-20 financial year with a first-year impact of $14.6 million.

But she said savings were possible without any immediate fears of job cuts.

“There are many ways of achieving savings, you know. It’s not just people.

“There are many things that can be cut. There are many things that can be changed.”

She maintained there were no plans to cut television or radio and no staff should feel nervous about losing their job.

“No. Not at this point. I wouldn’t be nervous at all.”

Buttrose also told Epstein her ‘media day’ consisted of ABC News Radio, “ABC News Breakfast“, Joe O’Brien on ABC News, reading 4 Sydney newspapers (both print & online), the New York Times online, Richard Glover on ABC Radio, ABC News at 7pm and “The 7:30 Report.”

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