2020-07-22
The Greens have slammed the Morrison Government‘s decision today to give another $10million of public money to Fox Sports, taking the total amount of corporate welfare under this program to the Murdoch company to $40million.
Greens Spokesperson for Media and Communications Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said:
“Another day, another public hand-out to the Morrison Government’s Murdoch mates.
“Giving tens of millions to Fox Sports while cutting funding to the ABC really is the height of arrogance.
“This is corporate welfare, plain and simple; under this Government corporate welfare to Murdoch is fine, but Australians who have lost their job due to Covid19 get their payments cut.
“This funding program for Murdoch’s Fox Sports says everything about the priorities of the Morrison Government. The Morrison Government is handing out millions of dollars of taxpayer money to a private, corporate broadcaster while slashing funding at the public broadcaster.
“It would be great if the PM genuinely cared about the broadcast of women’s sport, but given taxpayers have to also pay Murdoch for the privilege of watching a broadcast they’ve already funded through this program, that’s obviously not the case.
“Any support for the broadcast of women’s sport should be going to the public broadcasters which fans can watch for no further cost.
“Australians were outraged by the last $30million handed out under this program and will be disgusted the Morrison Government has seen fit to hand out even more cash to Murdoch.
“The ABC has suffered from repeated budget cuts under the Coalition Government, some $783million since 2014, and is now cutting jobs and news services to stay afloat. If there is money to go round for broadcasting, it should go to the ABC and SBS.
“The PM needs to reverse the funding cuts to the ABC. He can easily find the first $10million by taking it back from Murdoch and putting it where it will be the most benefit to broadcasting and promoting women’s sport and where fans can actually watch it without forking out more money.”