The system is corrupt ATM, and must be modified to better reflect the listeners/TV watchers preferences.
IMHO the best system is vouchers, the money that is now paid to the SBS/ABC is divided to the vouchers. (This money can be only used as a source of financing the broadcasters.)
Each taxpayer can than decide which broadcaster will receive its/hers/his money, and this is updated each year i.e. at the beginning of the financial year.
The recipients could be:
- local broadcasters (local ABC, or other);
- national broadcasters (ABC, ch9, ch7, ch10, sky news etc.);
The tax payers can than decide how to distribute their vouchers,
e.g. 100% to the local broadcaster, 50% to the local, and 50% to the national or any other combination.
This will stimulate the broadcasters to improve their products, to attract more vouchers.
The public schools shall be financed through a similar system, and no more than e.g. 1% of the budget, given to all public schools, the rest would be converted to vouchers. The only difference to the broadcasters case above would be that the vouchers are only given to the children's parents and not all taxpayers, and as before they can only be used to pay a public school.