Some 4,000 members of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) have begun a 24-hour work stoppage to protest the public broadcaster's refusal to disclose plans for budget cuts.

The online edition of the Australian Financial Review said that the ABC had been forced to cancel today's (Tuesday) radio and television news programs.

The ABC staff members also were asked to support a motion that would bar any broadcast journalist from hosting the ABC's Media Watch program, which critiques the Australian news media. The previous host, Paul Barry, was fired last week amid claims that his dismissal resulted from his frequent on-air criticism of the ABC.

Source: Studio Briefing