In April,the government confirmed it will renew ABC's"enhanced news-gathering"budget,at a cost of $44 million,on top of $3.1 billion in base funding over three years.

Staff now live in fear of putting a foot wrong.

Margaret Reynolds,ABC Friends

"I have said many times over the past seven months that our focus must always be on freeing up as much money as possible for content,adapting what we do to ensure we spend public funds effectively while searching for efficiencies,"Anderson wrote in an email to staff on Sunday.

"With confirmation that the Coalition has been returned to government,we will resume discussions with the Minister about securing longer-term funding arrangements.

"Stable funding is essential to deliver a greater level of financial certainty and enable us to plan for the future … Over the next 12 months the leadership team will continue to explore options with the board on how to meet these challenges and we will,of course,consult with staff along the way."

One senior staff member said Anderson may lobby the government to reverse the cuts.

"Nobody loves market research more than Scott Morrison,"the staff member said,referring to the prime minister's previous career as head of Tourism Australia.

"He'd be well aware that most Australians are fond of the ABC and,apart from a vocal minority of reactionaries,most people don't want to see it diminished."

In a 2018 survey,83 per cent of respondents agreed with the claim:"The ABC performs a valuable role in the Australian community."

Anderson was confirmed as ABC's managing director in May,after former MD Michelle Guthrie wassacked in September. Controversy surrounding her dismissal resulted in theresignation of chair Justin Milne,with media veteranIta Buttrose appointed to the role in February.

Margaret Reynolds,president of lobby group ABC Friends,condemned the budget freeze.

"All these cuts over the last six years have really impacted morale,"Reynolds said.

"Staff now live in fear of putting a foot wrong and one of the saddest things is seeing the loss of all those senior staff. The young people they’ve hired are fantastic but they're missing out on the experience and mentoring those staff would have given them.

"There are a small number of people,mainly in the Murdoch[News Corporation] camp,who think that the sooner we get rid of public broadcasting,the better. But that's not a widespread view in the community at all."

Another ABC veteran said Anderson will discuss his next steps with senior management this week."Of course everyone knew these budget cuts were a possibility,"the staff member said.

"But nobody has started planning how the cuts will be implemented. That level of granular detail is still a while away. It's not like we'll come out tomorrow and announce that[specific] jobs or programs will be axed."