At last weekend’s Federal Council the Liberal Party resolved to privatise the ABC. The motion has no binding power and the federal Coalition government has moved quickly to distance itself from the motion, ruling out any move to privatise the ABC.

It surprised some commentators that this motion came from the Young Liberal Movement, but it is the view of many young Australians that the ABC has crept well beyond its mission statement and well past its expiration date in a world of technology driven media saturation.

The technological advancements of the past few decades have made the barriers to producing and distributing media content lower than ever before. Online publishing services are essentially free and TV and radio production costs have plummeted, making it possible for amateurs to produce television quality content at reasonable prices.

ABC test pattern from 1979.

This has resulted in a staggering increase in the variety of news media available to consumers. YouTube frequenters will know that there are high-quality news and panel shows that focus on almost any topic imaginable, no matter how niche.