The ABC announced today the creation of ABC Resources.  The Media Release is at http://www.abc.net.au/corp/pubs/media/s2200518.htm

This follows a statement by the ABC's Director of Television, Kim Dalton, in a speech to the Screen Producers Association of Australia in October 2006.  The Australian reported him as saying:

"In the longer term, outside of its weekly magazine or program strands, ABC TV will move out of internal factual and documentary production. Going into the future, one-off or short-run series documentary or factual production will only be made in partnership with the independent sector."

Later, ABC TV abolished its award winning Natural History Unit.

However in today's media release Managing Director Mark Scott said:
“The ABC is committed in the future to being a broadcaster and a producer of its own material - as it is today.”

At this stage it is unclear how much internal production capacity the ABC will retain, especially in television.

For comment on the "Publisher, but not a producer" model which some have proposed for the ABC, click here.