Labor's communications spokeswoman Michelle Rowland says she is "looking very closely" at ABC funding but cannot say if her party will reverse the Turnbull government's repeated cuts.

Asked twice at a public forum on Wednesday night whether Labor would undo the funding freeze in this year's budget - as well as $254 million in cuts under former prime minister Tony Abbott - Ms Rowland told the audience Labor was looking to balance "economic realities" with its principles.

"We are a responsible opposition. We actually have a good track record of supporting and increasing funding to the ABC," she said.

"We are guided by not only economic realities but also principles when it comes to this."