More than 70 per cent of voters polled in Eden-Monaro believed the ABC was a critical service during emergencies, polling from GetUp released on Tuesday reveals.
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As Eden-Monaro heads for a pivotal byelection on Saturday, GetUp has released its findings from polling and a survey conducted by the organisation in the electorate in May and June.
The ABC has recently announced it would be cutting 250 jobs nationally, would dump the 7.45am news bulletin and restructure its emergency broadcasting team in a bid to accommodate funding cuts from the federal government.
GetUp national director Paul Oosting said in an electorate decimated by the summer bushfires, the ABC funding could be a vote-deciding issue.
Of the people surveyed, 85 per cent said they had been affected by the bushfires and 72 per cent agreed or strongly agreed the ABC provided reliable and up-to-date information during the emergency.
Almost 70 per cent reported they would like to see the ABC receive greater funding or have its cut funding restored.
"People across the electorate have relied on the ABC like never before this year - our public broadcaster has kept people safe while fires raged, had rolling informative coverage during a global pandemic and kept children learning while schools have been shut," Mr Oosting said.
"We're calling on all candidates to commit to fighting for a strong and fully funded ABC if elected."
