The ABC in Crisis – Emeritus Professor Ed Davis AM

One of Australia’s most popular and trusted institutions, the ABC has suffered dire funding cuts with more ahead. There is pressure for its sale and it faces a massive challenge from tech giants such as Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Google and Netflix. At stake is the ABC’s provision of high quality information, education and entertainment, essential for the health of Australian democracy. Emeritus Professor Ed Davis AM joins us to discuss what can be done to defend and maintain strong, independent public broadcasting.

Professor Ed Davis is Emeritus Professor in the Faculty of Business and Economics at Macquarie University. He is an economist who specialised in industrial relations. He is National Vice President and NSW President of ABC Friends. He is passionately committed to the pursuit of well-funded and independent public broadcasting. In 2006 he was appointed a Member in the General Division of the Order of Australia.

The objectives of ABC Friends are to represent community interest in defending and promoting the vital role of Australia’s independent national public broadcaster, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) to ensure: that the ABC is properly funded to maintain and advance its role as the national public broadcaster in all media, promoting and reflecting Australian culture and diversity; that it remains editorially independent of government and commercial interests; and to inform the Australian public about issues affecting the national public broadcaster.