The term "where your 8 cents a day goes", coined in the late 1980s during funding negotiations, is often used in reference to the services provided by the ABC. It is estimated that the cost of the ABC per head of population per day is now 7.1 cents a day, based on the Corporation's 2007–08 'base funding' of $543 million

From Wikipedia

The cost was estimated per resident, rather than "tax payer."

try this to get a 2013 figure:

$1,000,000,000 yearly total cost of ABC

÷ 365 days

= $2,739,726.03 daily total cost of ABC

÷ 23,273,527 Australians

=$0.12 per Australian per day

If, as you say, we decide to arrive at a tax paying population of 15 Million, the daily cost of all the ABC services - Radio Australia, Radio local, Radio National, the web content, ABC TV's 1,2,3 (Children's) ABC News 24 TV, the Youth Orchestra etc etc, amounts to 18c per day per tax payer. Most commercial networks can barely run a TV station alone on that money.

In times when the future of journalism under the old advertising model is in doubt, Our ABC has shown it still has the ethics and governance to tackle the big guys and expose commercial bull***t.

It's not only Catalyst which stands out. Take a look at how TV series The Checkout de-constructs the common commercial practices which have made victims out of us consumers.

Speaking of the $1B ABC cost figure (cited by The Australian newspaper), it's not surprising that The Australian has an axe to grind with the public-funded ABC .

ABC's Media Watch has caught out The Australian many times - and run the risk of litigation by giving the paper the hammering it deserved.

It is a truly David-and-Goliath affair for the 1-billion-a-year, Auntie ABC to take on Rupert Murdoch's multinational News Corp.

Over The Past 4 Years News Corp Generated $10.4 Billion In Profits And Received $4.8 Billion In "Taxes" From The IRS

from zerohedge.com

Like Media Watch, Catalyst must avoid being sued or silenced by others who are loose with the facts but have long pockets. The tried-and-true way to do this is to research thoroughly and get your facts right.

Cholesterol buildup the problem? Rubbish! There is no 'cholesterol time-bomb.'

80% - 90% of the volume of plaque is macrophages, not cholesterol. Take a look at the microscopy rather than cartoonist images you shared. Macrophages are indicators of immune activity, not of cholesterol buildup.

As for diet and exercise, why do marathon runners drop dead in the middle of races? Where is the real evidence that diet and exercise lead to increased longevity? I don't want to see association studies (sick people don't enjoy running marathons) I want to see prospective causal studies. They just don't exist.

Time to smile again Goanna. You are not doomed. Pick up your cameras, go and take some photos of children enjoying themselves. Then forget those silly doomsayers, and start smiling again...

Until now, the media has been full of pro-statin retaliation against the ABC Catalyst program.

This morning on ABC TV, however, Catalyst finally responded with a simple statement which has not yet reappeared on their website or elsewhere.

Catalyst basically stand behind all of their program's findings (with reference to the over-prescribing of statin drugs in light of their serious side-effects).

This was a brave move in the face of what has possibly involved some serious industrial lobbying. Today, in a not-unrelated address to the National Press Club, ABC Chairman James Spigelman spoke out in defence of ABC's editorial independence - despite the Government budget cuts to the ABC expected to be announced imminently.

(Note: it was our publicly-funded ABC which revealed the leaks regarding our own Government's tapping of the Indonesian President's phone).

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-12-11/national-press-club-james-spigelman/5150278

Having stood their ground on exposing the prescribing of statin drugs to perfectly healthy people, ABC's science journalists are keeping their steady-as-she-goes attitude.

They've now homed-in on carbohydrate-rich diets, citing recent results showing benefits to some people of a diet rich in fats, lower in protein but very low in starch - and disputing the theory that consuming fatty food causes some sort of "explosion of cholesterol" in the body.

Australian cricketer Shane Watson talks about how cutting carbs has helped him overcome his long-term struggle with weight. Recent research suggests it could improve the lives of people suffering from obesity and diabetes.

Professor Tim Noakes "One of the great myths of heart disease theory is that you eat saturated fat and somehow miraculously goes from your gut and plugs your coronary arteries".

Dr Peter Brukner "Saturated fat is not bad for you, we know that now. There is ample evidence that saturated fat is not the bogey it used to be. It's a great source of energy".

Download the video at http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/tv/catalyst/catalyst_14_15_18.mp4

Transcript at http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/4126228.htm

I've been on a Low Carb Ketogenic Diet for just over two years and also a Body Recomp over the past 12 mths, all natural, no drugs or TRT. It's an obsession of mine, reversing ageing, preparing the body for quailty of life in the next 40 years, i'm currently aged 62.

Photos and info here http://recompositioningrambo.blogspot.com.au

@Rambo

You can scare to shit big percentage of population if you do same poses late in the evening in the quiet lonely place :-)

Cholesterol is not the enemy, inflammation is. Cholesterol is just doing its job, repairing damage. The real aim is to reduce the density of Cholesterol particles, that can be done thru diet. I eat 5% carbs, 30% Protein, 65% fat ( mostly sat fat from animals) my Chol blood markers are excellent and densities very small compared to Blood marker tests done 2 years prior

I am not good at this, but some modern research shows that actually reduction of cholesterol makes no sense at all. As it is required for proper function, it is real issues with blood vessels that cause problems (and cholesterol fixes as far as nature can). If you stop proper high cholesterol it'll be just more serious issues more fast.

Another very helpful tip. Before trying any diet get good medical books and read parts on how digestive system works.

Yes VK, there is an addition test for Chol density, currently Docs only take notice of Total Chol which really indicates bugger all and results in Docs prescribing Statins, Low Trigs and Low Chol Densities are the important ones.

VK >Another very helpful tip. Before trying any diet get good medical books and read parts on how digestive system works

Yes and also peer reviewed medical research like PubMed etc. i've spent the past 2 years reading and trying to understand the body, it's a fascinating adaptive organism, able to adapt to good and bad stresses, but much prefers a state of Homeostasis ( balance) that is what we are constantly fighting against. It is amazing and will reward you with optimal health if you give it what it prefers and that's not alwYs what we are led to believe.

Medical World coming around to Catalyst's views on Cholesterol and Statin drugs

The argument over whether cholesterol causes heart disease has never gone away, but now it’s back with a vengeance.

This comes as increasing numbers of those in the medical community and more international studies are raising questions about the link between cholesterol and heart disease.

This comes as increasing numbers of those in the medical community and more international studies are raising questions about the link between cholesterol and heart disease.

Hand in hand with questions about cholesterol, come those about the efficacy of statins, the drugs used to reduce cholesterol. One leading British cardiologist says he believes the public is being mislead.

Read the article and hear the Podcast on ABC's "Counterpoint" program:

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/counterpoint/the-great-debate-over-cholestoerol-and-statins/7330000