On June 15, the ABC informed staff members of a number of jobs expected to be cut ahead of the organisation’s five-year ‘restructuring’, set to begin from the beginning of the Australian financial year on July 1, 2023. The redundancies include the high-profile role of senior political editor, currently filled by award-winning journalist Andrew Probyn. The political editor was told that ABC no longer required a political editor for the TV news and that the organisation is moving to “reinvest the money into social and digital reporting roles”.
The ABC’s arts team, including the digital arts editor, was amongst the dozens of jobs cut from the budget for the first time in the outlet’s history, with staff instead dispersed amongst newsrooms. A total of 41 journalist, editor, camera and sound operator positions will be abolished from ABC investigative news television programs, as well as seven regional and local jobs, including the manager of ABC Local Darwin in the Northern Territory. The current state-specific Sunday evening television bulletin will also be reduced to one national broadcast.
ABC news director told staff that 24 new positions for digital shooters, producers and editors will emerge from the structural changes.
On June 9, ABC managing director David Anderson launched the Five-Year Plan 2023-2028 for the national broadcaster, centred on maintaining the outlet’s ‘relevance’ and ‘essential role in Australian life’. Although broadcast television, as well as AM and FM radio, will continue to operate, ABC said it will divert resources to delivering all content in digital formats, in preparation for the ‘digital majority audience’ of the future. The statement made no mention of job cuts.
ABC journalists voted to take industrial action in March against management, including an indefinite strike, in a bid to improve pay and working conditions, particularly for junior journalists. The planned action was called off after MEAA members reached an agreement deal with the outlet to an offer of pay rises totalling 11 per cent over three years, backdated to October 1 2022.
MEAA Media Director, Cassie Derrick, said: “The ABC has been running on empty for the past decade and we are concerned about how it can continue to deliver quality public interest journalism with even fewer staff following these cuts. Local journalism in our country continues to be eroded, and these cuts are a further insult to local audiences. MEAA members will be demanding a voice at the table to ensure the ABC does continue to deliver the news and other content that the Australian public deserves. The recent enterprise bargaining agreement was a chance for ABC management to reset its relationship with the workforce. It hasn’t got off to a good start.”
The IFJ said: “The layoff of over 100 experienced media workers amid ABC’s structural changes will inevitably have a chilling impact on the quality of Australian journalism, which should be upheld by the national public broadcaster. The IFJ calls on ABC management to fulfil the obligations stipulated in its workplace agreement to consult with unions before making such changes, and explore all alternatives before progressing to forced redundancies.”