David Hill said the cuts were ideologically driven but was reluctant to comment in detail on their implications, which could eliminate up to 400 jobs, or 10 per cent of the broadcaster’s workforce.

“I don’t have a lot to add to the debate as I don’t want to make things any more difficult for the staff than they already are, “ he said.

He said there was a conservative government belief of leftwing bias at the heart of the cuts to a range of services and staff.

“They have certainly clipped the wings of the ABC,” Mr Hill said.

Mr Hill was at the helm of the ABC from 1987 to 1995.

Former ABC Central West station manager and presenter Laurie Neville was also disappointed by the cuts and said people have been visiting his business to discuss their disbelief with him.

“It will dilute the amount of coverage, that’s always something that’s most unfortunate,” Mr Neville said.

“Media will be directed more by Sydney than it should be, would be my belief.

“Regional radio still has a very important role to play.”

In comparison to state-run media in other countries, Mr Neville said the ABC’s funding per capita was fairly low, receiving one third, per head, of the  BBC’s budget in the United Kingdom. 

“Any examination would show it’s been quite efficient and that’s been shown over and over and over,” Mr Neville said.

Friends of the ABC member John Da Rin of Orange described the ABC as the whipping boy for politicians and said the broadcaster’s budget needed to be looked at rationally. 

“It’s a bit disheartening to continually hear that people are going to lose their jobs just prior to Christmas,” Mr Da Rin said.

“I’m concerned that the Coalition Government over the years have always carried on about cutting the ABC and the Labor Party have injected funds into the ABC, there needs to be a rational approach to how the ABC is run.

“At the moment, they have a finger in every pie and maybe they need to rationalise.”

tanya.marschke@fairfaxmedia.com.au