"Sometimes you get big news stories like some of the stories we've covered in the last year - that puts your costs under pressure and costs need to be brought back in."

Liberal Senator Eric Abetz quizzed Mr Scott over allegations of bias in the ABC's reporting of the debate over marriage laws.

Senator Abetz suggested ABC television news gave disproportionate coverage to a small same-sex marriage rally compared with a much larger event that was held in favour of maintaining the traditional definition of marriage.

He also raised concern about an episode of ABC TV's Compass program that dealt with the issue.

Mr Scott acknowledged the Senator's concerns, but said the ABC does not take sides.

"The ABC doesn't have a point of view, Senator," he said.

"I didn't see the program and I can't speak in any great detail on it.

"But I would suggest... the critical test is - are the arguments coming through in that conversation?"

Mr Scott also defended the ABC's decision to televise a satirical program about the Prime Minister.

The series, At Home With Julia, prompted strong criticism from some Federal MPs.

One episode showed actors playing Julia Gillard and her partner Tim Mathieson naked, and draped in the Australian flag, on the floor of the PM's office.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-10-18/abc-defends-budget-cuts2c-gay-marriage-coverage/3577786

Of course, none of these senators (Abetz and Xenophon) are members of the government but they are part of the government's inquiry panel into the yearly funding of the ABC...

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-10-20/clarke-and-dawe-on-the-economy/3581974

The Federal Government has terminated the tender process for the Australia Network.

The ABC currently holds the contract but is competing with Sky News to retain it.

Communications Minister Stephen Conroy says the Government has received legal advice that significant leaks have compromised the process.

The Government has granted the ABC a six-month extension to the contract while the Government resolves the issue.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-11-07/australia-network-story5c/3650798?WT.svl=news0

When reviewing The Iron Lady on ABC 1's At the Movies earlier in December, Margaret Pomeranz also felt the need to declare that "most of us" thought that Thatcher's decision, when prime minister, to change Britain "wasn't a good idea at the time". David Stratton, the co-presenter of At the Movies, concurred. It was another example of an ABC program in which everyone agreed with everyone else, in a fashionable leftist sort of way.

The likes of Jenkins and Pomeranz and Stratton have a right to be heard. It's just the overwhelming voice of the public broadcaster is left-of-centre, or leftist, and so few right-of-centre, or conservative, voices are heard.