Budget 2016: ABC facing $20m cut to reporting, digital services

Updated

The ABC has signalled "changes to staffing and programming" after being hit with a funding cut of almost $20 million in this year's budget.

Scott Morrison's first budget has continued the triennial $3.1 billion base funding for the ABC across television, radio and digital services.

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But Labor provided additional funding worth $60 million over three years which was used for programs including the National Reporting Team, new regional bureaux, state-based digital teams and the Fact Check unit.

That's been reduced to $41.4 million over the next three years, creating an effective budget cut of $18.6 million.

A spokesman for ABC management released a statement acknowledging the cut.

"ABC News will seek to maintain as many of the initiatives as possible, with a focus on delivering for Australians in regional and outer-suburban areas," the statement said.

"However, there will necessarily be some changes to staffing and programming in line with the reduced allocation of funds.

"The Enhanced Newsgathering Program was established in the previous triennium to bolster local and regional news gathering services, including the establishment of outer-suburban bureaux, a National Reporting Team, state-based digital news, the ABC Fact Check unit and improving live-linking capacity in the regions."

Topics: budget, federal-government, federal-parliament, federal-elections, government-and-politics, broadcasting, abc, information-and-communication, arts-and-entertainment, australia

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