Discord is growing in the federal Coalition over the future funding for the ABC, with Nationals MPs calling for regional services to be firewalled from any cuts in the budget.

Nationals MPs Bruce Scott and Mark Coulton have voiced their concern about possible cuts after Fairfax Media reported on Sunday that Prime Minister Tony Abbott could break a key pre-election promise by cutting funding to the national broadcaster.

The government’s powerful expenditure review committee is considering how to trim millions from Auntie’s budget, including through the introduction of an annual “efficiency dividend” that would force the corporation to do more with less.

Mr Abbott said on election eve there would be no cuts to the ABC or SBS, but since then the corporation, the prime minister and hard-right of the Liberal Party have been at loggerheads over perceived bias and misreporting.

It’s understood the ERC is weighing the political feasibility of a range of cuts that would cut into the ABC’s $1.03 billion budget.