Media Releases

17 May 2010 ABC MUST PRESERVE RURAL CONTENT

THE Queensland Farmers’ Federation is disappointed to learn this week that the ABC has plans to cut rural reporter numbers and syndicate some daily Rural Report breakfast programs. Such a move would be a blow to primary producers and agribusiness professionals across Queensland, many of whom were dedicated listeners to these programs and relied on them for accurate and timely information.
“These programs deliver local rural news and market information to farmers five days a week,” QFF CEO Dan Galligan said.
“They deliver a vital service that is part of the ABC’s core business. In many remote parts of Queensland the ABC is the only up-to-date source of rural and regional information.”
Reports this week have stated that the ABC would axe rural reporters in Mackay in Qld and Lismore in NSW, and move toward a ‘mega-region’ concept for breakfast programs. QFF believes it would negatively impact local content.
“Queensland is a geographically huge State with incredibly diverse climates and local production systems and commodities. There are vast differences between farming in the central west to the Darling Downs to the tropical north.
“The concept of trying to provide farmers in such varying regions with the same news each day would see local content suffer and it is this local content around markets, climate and industry issues that farmers rely heavily on at the start of the day.”
Mr Galligan said there were hundreds of farmers in the Mackay region alone that relied on the rural news each morning.
“The ABC rural reporters do an excellent job and they must be retained. The way for this to happen is for the ABC management to address funding inadequacies affecting ABC Rural without affect content delivery to this vital service.”

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