Australian Government Ends Funding Freeze for Public Broadcasters ABC and SBS

An employee walks past the logo of the ABC located at the main entrance to the ABC building located at Ultimo in Sydney, Australia, on June 5, 2019. AAP/David Gray

The Australian government has ended its $84 million (US$59.4 million), three-year funding freeze of the country’s two public broadcasters in the run-up to the next federal election.

Communications Minister Paul Fletcher made the surprise announcement on Feb. 7, which will unlock $4.2 billion (US$2.8 billion) of extra funding until 2025.