Walkouts and demands for an inquiry after it emerges chairman demanded a reporter be sacked for criticising the government

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Australia’s national broadcaster has been plunged into crisis after it emerged that the chairman of its board had demanded a reporter be fired following pressure from the then prime minister.

The unprecedented political interference in the running of the state-funded Australian Broadcasting Corporation triggered emergency staff meetings at its offices across the country, calls for the chairman, Justin Milne, to resign, and demands from the opposition for a Senate inquiry.

The drama followed the shock firing of the managing director, Michelle Guthrie, on Monday. Guthrie, a controversial figure who was only halfway through her five-year term, has said she is exploring her legal options over the sacking.

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An email leaked to media on Wednesday morning revealed Milne contacted Guthrie in April, in the midst of government anger at a report on corporate tax cuts by the ABC’s economics editor, Emma Alberici.

The then prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, had written to the ABC’s head of news the previous month with a list of concerns about Alberici’s coverage.

“They [the government] hate her,” Milne wrote to Guthrie in the leaked email. “We are tarred with her brush. I think it’s simple. Get rid of her. We need to save the ABC – not Emma. There is no guarantee they [the Coalition] will lose the next election.”

Alberici, a respected journalist with more than 25 years experience, said the reports of Milne’s email were distressing and “disappointing if it’s true”.

Further media reports on Wednesday afternoon claimed Milne had also opposed Guthrie’s handling of an ABC comedy show that called a candidate for the Australian Conservatives party a “cunt”, and had asked Guthrie to take action against other journalists who had upset the federal government: the national political reporter, Andrew Probyn, and the Melbourne radio broadcaster Jon Faine.

One report in Australia’s Daily Telegraph quoted Guthrie saying that in an angry phonecall following a meeting with Turnbull, Milne had “berated” her about Probyn, telling her the then prime minister hated the journalist and adding: “You have to shoot him.”

The government distanced itself from the chaos. The communications minister, Mitch Fifield, said he had only ever raised “factual matters” with the ABC, not staffing concerns.

“I have never involved myself in staffing matters, nor am I aware of any member of the government who has sought to do so,” he said.

Turnbull, who was ousted as prime minister by his own party last month, has not commented.

Following the revelation of Milne’s email, hundreds of ABC staff walked out for union-led meetings, holding placards reading “hands off the ABC” and “no political intervention”.

There was dismay among senior ABC journalists, with the veteran presenter Barrie Cassidy calling for Milne to step down. “How do you think the staff feel if the chairman’s view is that he’s prepared to throw a journalist overboard so that he keeps sweet with the government?” he said. “We are asked constantly to report without fear or favour, and the one thing we expect in return is to have our backs covered.”

The political anchor Kerry O’Brien said if the reports were true Milne’s position was untenable. “ I think Justin Milne either knew what he was doing and it’s reprehensible, or he was dangerously naive and that’s also reprehensible.” If trust in the broadcaster were eroded by the crisis, he added, “that is not only a tragedy it is an appalling piece of sabotage”.

A motion passed by Melbourne staff said the ABC was and always had been “a fiercely independent news organisation”.

“It is of no concern to our program makers or journalists whether they are hated by any government.

“We are dismayed that the chairman of our own board is exerting political pressure behind closed doors. Mr Milne’s position as chairman of the board is untenable if he does not support the ABC’s fierce pursuit of journalism without political interference.”

A spokesman for the ABC board said it was “united in its disappointment at the need to correct content in [Alberici’s] article”.

“The board takes seriously its responsibility, as legislated in the ABC Act, to ensure that editorial output is accurate.”