In October 2008, the government released a discussion paper entitled, “ABC and SBS: Towards a Digital Future,” in which it sought comments regarding how to deal with the online transition. The report broadly posed two questions: What sort of content should public service broadcasters be expected to provide? And how should this be funded? The report drew 2,431 comments from both groups and individuals and led to the development of a new online strategy, titled “Strengthening our National Broadcasters” (Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy 2009). “The importance of the ABC’s information services was particularly prominent in submissions.
