According to official records, ABC Ramp Up was established in December 2010 with initial seed funding of $557,000 from the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (later Department of Social Services) under the Labor Government [1].
The 2014 Federal Budget did impose a 1% "efficiency dividend" cut to ABC and SBS funding totaling approximately $43 million, but this was a separate general budget measure, not specific to Ramp Up [6].
The funding was always time-limited seed funding:** The Labor Government established Ramp Up in 2010 with seed funding explicitly designed to expire in June 2014, with the expectation that the ABC would incorporate the site into its core business operations by that date [3][7].
**2.
The ABC made the final decision not to continue:** When the seed funding expired, the ABC's board and management chose not to incorporate Ramp Up into its core operations [5][8].
ABC Managing Director Mark Scott noted at Senate Estimates that "the ABC has never indicated that it would take over funding responsibility for the site" and cited a desire to reduce the number of standalone websites as one factor [8].
**3.
The Coalition government actually urged the ABC to continue the site:** Assistant Minister for Social Services Mitch Fifield wrote to Mark Scott in January 2014 urging the ABC to continue Ramp Up, stating "I would hope they recognise its importance" [7].
The "cut" was actually scheduled program expiration:** The funding did not continue because it reached its predetermined end date, not because of an active decision to terminate ongoing funding.
However, the article's framing emphasizes the negative impact without fully explaining the pre-existing expiration timeline established by the previous government [1].
**Did Labor do something similar?**
This is particularly relevant because the Labor Government itself established the seed funding model with a fixed expiration date.
* * * *
Search conducted: "Labor government ABC website seed funding expiration"
Finding: The Labor Government established ABC Ramp Up as a pilot program with seed funding explicitly designed to expire after 3.5 years (December 2010 to June 2014).
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In 2012, Labor Parliamentary Secretary Jan McLucas wrote to the ABC stating the government's "expectation... that the ABC might be able to incorporate the work of Ramp Up into their core business" when funding expired in mid-2014 [3][8].
The Coalition's role was in not renewing or extending this seed funding arrangement, but the original expiration date and expectation of ABC core funding absorption was set by Labor [3].
The closure of ABC Ramp Up was widely condemned by disability advocates, who viewed it as a significant loss for disability representation in Australian media [1][5][9].
The site was unique in providing a platform for people with disabilities to discuss issues on their own terms, challenging stereotypical "hero" or "tragedy" narratives common in mainstream media [5][9].
The funding arrangement was:
- Established by Labor as time-limited seed funding
- Always scheduled to end in June 2014
- Accompanied by an expectation (never agreed to by the ABC) that the site would be absorbed into core ABC operations
- The subject of an explicit request by the Coalition Assistant Minister for the ABC to continue the site
The ABC had the option to continue Ramp Up using its general funding but chose not to.
ABC Managing Director Mark Scott cited efficiency concerns about having "too many standalone websites" rather than budget cuts as the primary reason [8].
**Key context:** This was not a unique Coalition decision to defund a disability program.
The expiration date was set by the previous Labor government, and the ABC made the operational decision not to continue the site using its broader budget.
The claim omits that the expiration date was set by Labor, that the Coalition urged continuation, and that the ABC made the final operational decision.
The claim omits that the expiration date was set by Labor, that the Coalition urged continuation, and that the ABC made the final operational decision.