Public Broadcaster’s Decision to Cut Political Editor Roundly Criticised

The logo for Australia's public broadcaster ABC is seen on its head office building in Sydney, Australia, on Sept. 27, 2018. Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty Images

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s (ABC) decision to axe the role of political editor has been roundly criticised by media figures.

In a staff email, the public broadcaster’s managing director, David Anderson, said up to 120 employees would potentially be let go as the national broadcaster restructures.

The redundancies come after the journalist union, the Media, Entertainment, and Arts Alliance, won an 11 percent pay rise and a $1,500 bonus for thousands of ABC staff in April. That pay rise was also backdated to Oct. 1, 2022.

Despite these gains, union director, Cassie Derrick, expressed disappointment with the latest decision.

“The ABC’s announced restructure has yet again undercut the hope for sustainable, secure careers. Cutting experienced talent and forcing down pay hurts the young journos who rely on mentorship,” she wrote on Twitter.

In May, the federal Labor government pledged to guarantee $6 billion (US$4.13 billion) of taxpayer funds to the ABC over five years—the ABC normally receives just over $1 billion a year, on par with (or more) than most commercial broadcasters.

Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Managing Director David Anderson speaks during Senate Estimates at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on Feb. 14, 2023. AAP Image/Lukas Coch

ABC Management Focused on Streamlining Operations

The decision to axe the role of political editor comes as ABC upper management attempts to reform the broadcaster to better cater to younger audiences.

“The ABC’s Canberra Parliament House Bureau has an outdated, top-heavy structure still largely focused on linear television broadcast,” said an internal document obtained by The Sydney Morning Herald.

“There is an opportunity to transform our political coverage to engage new audiences, including younger audiences, who are increasingly seeking their political news from other platforms and outlets.”

An employee walks past the logo of the ABC located at the main entrance to the ABC building located at Ultimo in Sydney, Australia, on June 5, 2019. AAP/David Gray

ABC News Director Justin Stevens sent a five-year plan to staff on June 15, outlining the need to find “savings and efficiencies to deal with rising costs and to reinvest in its strategic priorities.”

“Everything we make now is digital—there is no delineation between content being for a digital audience or not,” Stevens said in comments obtained by AAP.

Journalists, Public Figures Critical of Decision

The ABC’s now redundant political editor Andrew Probyn has responded to the decision by speaking to the Guardian Australia and The Sydney Morning Herald.

“It has been a tremendous privilege, and I have worked with some wonderful people,” he told the mastheads.

“I struggle to understand the direction the ABC is going in that it could consider the role of political editor not needed.”

Fellow political editor at the Australian Financial Review, Phil Coorey, said he was the “most constant news breaker.”

“What a disgrace from an organisation full of middle-management time servers,” he wrote on Twitter.

The logo for Australia's public broadcaster ABC is seen at its head office building in Sydney, Australia, on Sept. 27, 2018. Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty Images

Janet Albrechtsen, from News Corp’s The Australian newspaper, called it a “disgraceful decision.”

“We are the poorer for this. The ABC can hardly afford to lose someone of Andrew Probyn’s class and professionalism,” she wrote on Twitter.

While former New South Wales Premier Bob Carr also weighed in.

“ABC News is bad already, crammed with crime stories and scandalously missing big international news,” he wrote on Twitter.

“Sacking Andrew Probyn and replacing him with junior reporters who can get stuff on TikTok will drive down audience even further. The chair and board must reverse this.”

Dr. Nick Coatsworth, former deputy chief medical officer, shared a similar view.

“Unless you’ve got great journalists like Andrew Probyn, your social and digital content will be worthless, no matter how much money you pump its way. False dichotomy from Justin Stevens and ABC management.”