Communications Minister Michelle Rowland requests meeting with ABC amid restructure chaos
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland has requested an urgent briefing from ABC management over last week’s redundancies announcement, which will see 120 staff made redundant.
Last week, public broadcaster ABC announced its five year plan, aiming to transition to a digital-first organisation.
As part of the transition, the broadcaster has flagged a divisional restructure, that will see its regional bureau folded into the news division. Among the “range of savings measures and reinvestment initiatives” designed to support the restructure, 120 staff will be made redundant, including high-profile political editor, Andrew Probyn.
A spokesperson for Rowland told Mumbrella: “This is a very difficult time for any individual whose role may be impacted by the changes.
“The ABC ultimately has operational independence and it is a matter for ABC management to determine how to structure the organisation within their funding envelope to meet the changing needs of audiences.”
The spokesperson confirmed Rowland made the request to meet with the ABC.
“The Minister has requested a briefing from the ABC management in regards to the five year plan and the announcement this week.”
A spokesperson for ABC told Mumbrella that the briefing is likely to go ahead after the current parliamentary sitting week, but declined to provide any further comment.
Last week, Carrie Derrick, media director at the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) also called for clarification on the restructure, saying ABC has “poorly communicated” the changes, and she is “concerned about how the ABC can deliver quality public interest journalism with even fewer staff following these redundancies”.
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Lauren McNamara is a reporter at Mumbrella. She joined in November 2022 as editorial assistant, having completed a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) at the University of Technology, Sydney.
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