ABC chairwoman Ita Buttrose has defended the role of the public broadcaster in Australia’s media landscape amid the budget cuts and redundancies. 

She told Deborah Knight she was concerned that ABC staff had found themselves unemployed in such a difficult time, particularly in the media.

However, she said they were “stuck with it” after budget cuts were legislated.

“We have to endure them, we have to get on with it, we have to still produce the ABC and all of its programs,” she said.

In addressing critisicm of the ABC being too “left-leaning”, Ms Buttrose said it was a common complaint.

“If you look at all of the inquiries we seem to come through them all very well,” she said.

“Recently we have had quite a few … conservative people on our programs, and that’s caused us some slack as well.

“There would be no royal commission into the banking industry, into child sexual abuse, aged care – the ABC pioneered all of the problems we know of in aged care that were totally ignored.

“No one in the media is perfect, not any of us.

“I think less-than-perfect organisations should stop chucking stones at us.”

She rejected claims cutting the 7.45am news bulletin was “point-scoring”.

Click PLAY below to hear the full interview