Christopher Pyne has made a plea to the ABC not to shut down its operations in his home town.

The education minister has set up an online petition noting the ABC’s South Australian TV production unit is the last one left outside Sydney and Melbourne.

The communications minister, Malcolm Turnbull, has said the ABC budget would be cut by about 5% over five years.

It has produced the award-winning show Dream Build as well as The Cook and the Chef, Poh’s Kitchen and the Beatles’ 50th anniversary tour documentary.

“The board must reassure South Australians that the local TV production house of the ABC will remain in South Australia,” Pyne’s petition said.

Pyne told ABC radio in Adelaide that that the Peter Lewis review into the broadcaster found that cuts could be made without impacting production or content.

“So if ABC management in Ultimo decide to cut jobs and production in Adelaide it is a deliberate act of political vandalism. They know, they have the report in front of them showing them how to reduce costs.”

“Mark Scott and the board need to get out of Ultimo and go around Australia and find the place where the ABC is most popular is in regional Australia.”

Pyne dismissed questions that the government had promised no budget cuts to the ABC during the election campaign, saying that the former Labor government had required the broadcaster to undertake no efficiencies.

Media Watch reported on Monday night that 400 to 500 jobs would go at the broadcaster by the end of the year.

State versions of the 7.30 program face the axe, Lateline could be scaled back and ABC bureaux in Bangkok, New Delhi, Tokyo and New Zealand could be closed.

Pyne’s change.org petition had attracted 165 supporters at the time of writing.

The Labor frontbencher Kate Ellis, who is the member for Adelaide, also has called for the production unit to be kept open.

“The reduction of capacity for news and current affairs to be generated from South Australia will mean our state’s voice will be lost amongst the loud chatter of the larger eastern states,” she said.

The ABC also faces revolt over the proposed axing of local television production in South Australia and the scrapping of local editions of 7.30.

South Australian independent senator Senator Nick Xenophon plans to introduce a bill to strengthen the national broadcaster’s charter to guarantee local and regional content next week.

The draft would add a section requiring the ABC “to have a distinct and discernible presence in each state and territory, across all broadcast platforms, including but not limited to news, current affairs, and investigative and regional reporting, that are produced in, of, for and by that state or territory”

Xenophon wrote to ABC chairman James Spigelman and managing director Mark Scott several times in September and last month, objecting to rumoured cuts. He met with them both on 22 September.

In one email, he quoted the ABC’s charter requiring the broadcaster to “contribute to a sense of national identity … and reflect the cultural diversity of the Australian community”.

He said: “The ABC’s track record of centralising programming, staff numbers and editorial control in Sydney seems to be undermining its charter obligations.”

ABC production in South Australia was the “last man standing” – the only unit outside Sydney and Melbourne. It was currently producing a seven-part series, Life in Ruins, about renovations of historic homes.

Xenophon said the role of state 7.30 programs on Friday nights in keeping politicians and institutions accountable “cannot be underestimated”. The Monday to Thursday national 7.30 had screened only 10 stories this year from South Australia, 2% of output, he said.

The premier of Victoria, Denis Napthine, has also called on the ABC to maintain local editions of 7.30, as has the chief minister of the ACT, Kate Gallagher. Late last month, the Tasmanian lower house unanimously voted in a matter of public importance that the local program be retained.

Xenophon said the ABC’s annual report found that NSW now accounts for more than half (51%) of the ABC’s 4,697 full time equivalent jobs. South Australia’s stake saw the sharpest drop, from 8% to 6.9%.

He defended the ratings of the local, saying they were well supported given that Friday nights traditionally had fewer viewers.

“In contrast, the ratings for the News 24 channel remain very modest and far less than those enjoyed by state and territory 7.30 programs.”

Spigelman replied on 10 September that “I can assure you the board and management team understand the responsibilities of the ABC to tell stories from across the nation, to provide quality news and current affairs and to provide strong coverage from the regions.”