Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Australian national public broadcasterTemplate:SHORTDESC:Australian national public broadcaster
This article is about the Australian public broadcaster. For the television service launched in 1956, now a network, see ABC Television (Australian TV network).
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* David Anderson (managing director)
* Ita Buttrose (chair)

The **Australian Broadcasting Corporation** (**ABC**) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-owned body that is politically independent and fully accountable, with its charter enshrined in legislation, the *Australian Broadcasting Corporation Act 1983*. ABC Commercial, a profit-making division of the corporation, also helps to generate funding for content provision.

The ABC was established as the **Australian Broadcasting Commission** on 1 July 1932 by an act of federal parliament. It effectively replaced the Australian Broadcasting Company, a private company established in 1924 to provide programming for A-class radio stations. The ABC was given statutory powers that reinforced its independence from the government and enhanced its news-gathering role. Modelled after the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), which is funded by a television licence, the ABC was originally financed by consumer licence fees on broadcast receivers. Licence fees were abolished in 1973 and replaced by direct government grants, as well as revenue from commercial activities related to its core broadcasting mission. The ABC adopted its current name in 1983.

The ABC provides radio, television, online, and mobile services throughout metropolitan and regional Australia. ABC Radio operates four national networks, a large number of ABC Local Radio stations, several digital stations, and the international service Radio Australia. ABC Television operates five free-to-air channels, as well as the ABC iview streaming service and the ABC Australia satellite channel. News and current affairs content across all platforms is produced by the news division.

The postal address of the ABC in every Australian capital city is PO Box 9994, as a tribute to the record-breaking batting average of Australian cricketer Sir Donald Bradman.

## See also

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* History of broadcasting in Australia
* Timeline of Australian radio

## References

1. ↑ "Expense Measures" (PDF). *2019–20 Budget*. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 July 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
2. ↑ "ABC Annual Report 2019" (PDF). ABC. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 December 2019. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
3. ↑ Australian Broadcasting Corporation (2020). "Appendix 5 - Employee profile". Annual Report 2020 (Report).
4. ↑ Australian Broadcasting Corporation Act 1983. *legislation.gov.au*.
5. ↑ Daffey, Paul (28 November 2004). "The Ten". *The Age*. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
6. ↑ Australian Story (27 July 2015). "Sir Donald Bradman: Seven interesting facts about the world's greatest Test batsman". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
7. ↑ Eason, Alan (2004). *The A-Z of Bradman*. HarperCollins. ISBN 9780733315176.

## Further reading

* Cater, Nick *The Lucky Culture and the Rise of an Australian Ruling Class*  (2013) pp 199–228
* Curgenven, Geoffrey. *Dick Boyer, an Australian humanist* (Bolton, 1967) (Dick Boyer was chair of the ABC Board from 1940 until his death in 1961.)
* Inglis, K. S. *This is the ABC – the Australian Broadcasting Commission 1932 – 1983* (2006)
* Inglis, K. S. *Whose ABC? The Australian Broadcasting Corporation 1983–2006* (2006)
* Moran, Albert, and Chris Keating. *The A to Z of Australian Radio and Television* (Scarecrow Press, 2009)
* Semmler, Clement. *The ABC: Aunt Sally and Sacred Cow* (1981)

## External links

* Official website
* *Australian Broadcasting Corporation Act 1983*

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