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Protesters at the Save Our ABC rally at Melbournes Federation Square. Photograph: AAP

The Coalitions cuts to the ABC and SBS are ripping at the heart of vital public institutions, federal opposition leader, Bill Shorten, says.

He also told a Save Our ABC rally at Melbournes Federation Square on Sunday that Australians are rightly angered by the budget cuts in breach of Tony Abbotts pre-election promise.

This is not a government of competition this is a government of censorship, Shorten said.

This is a government of savages, ripping at the heart of our national institution.

They are launching a brutal attack despite promising in the clearest, most unambiguous language, there will be no cuts to the ABC.

Shorten said the public broadcasters reflected our national identity ... our national soul and Australians would need to fight to have the cuts reversed.

Our ABC has always been here for us. It is now time for us to be there for the ABC, he said.

The crowd was told the governments move to slash $254m from the ABCs budget over five years would amount to 500 ABC staff losing their jobs and more facing insecure employment via casual or part-time work.

Some TV shows and local news bulletins would be discontinued, websites and web services would be shut down and production facilities centralised away from regional areas.

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Tony Abbott leads 'a government of censorship', Bill Shorten tells ABC rally