Yes the ABC flicked the SS. And that decision is a disgraceful decision made by the ABC and NOT Abbott and his band of merrymen. To disappoint @couldabeen for a bit, I will speak politics, but only briefly. After being a lifetime Labor Party voter, I have not voted for them since Keating's arrogance got him into the main chair. I voted for Abbott on the belief that the reckless government spending from the previous 2 PM's (the worst 2 in our nations history) would stop and we'll see things back to the way they should be. Sadly though, it is clear IMO only, that Mr Abbott is clearly out of his depth.
That all said, I read in detail the government proposal for the funding cut. The cuts are at 1% of the ABC budget per annum for the next 5 years. So it's not a massive hit in 1 year as the scribes will have us all believe. 1%. That's bugger all. The decision to cut the SS by ABC was made because the management were looking for an excuse to do so.
I am hearing though that there is still a decent chance that the SS will be on free to air in 2015. Albeit one of the major tv networks digital channels but free nonetheless.
On several occasions in recent seasons, the tv ratings in NSW for SS have been higher than the ratings for Sydney Swans matches. This is fact. And hopefully the leadership from NSWRU/SRU/ARU are making any prospective broadcaster aware of that.
Fingers crossed they can pull a Rabbit out of the Hat