A majority of Australians want the ABC’s independence protected from political interference, and agree the ABC must do more to defend its political independence new research from The Australia Institute shows.

Key points:

• Vast majority of Australians (73%) agree the ABC’s independence should be protected from political interference
• 61% agree the ABC must do more to defend its political independence
• 60% of people agree the ABC is facing more political interference than it used to
• Only 20% agree that the ABC should do what the government expects it to do, while 61% disagree

“More needs to be done by the ABC and the Government to better buttress the ABC’s independence. While the ABC certainly needs defending, it also needs fixing,” said Ebony Bennett, Deputy Director of The Australia Institute.

“In the wake of what has happened, now is the time to deliver structural reforms that would guarantee the ABC board’s independence and funding certainty beginning with the appointment of the new chair of the ABC Board.”