Senators Press ABC Over News Director Exit as One Nation Claims Bias

Senators attempted to find out why the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s (ABC) News Director Justin Stevens resigned before the outlet’s appearance before a Senate Estimates hearing on May 28.

Despite repeated questions from senators on whether Stevens had been forced to resign, ABC Managing Director Hugh Marks preferred not to comment.

“I think it’s inappropriate for me to go into detail and specific staff matters,” Marks told the Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee.

“I won’t give any further background on that, other than what we’ve already said in our public statements and what I mentioned today.”

He did say the resignation was an “opportunity for us to move forward.”

Liberal Senator Sarah Henderson said it was evident who the new appointment would be, and that the announcement was “imminent.”

“If you wanted to formally bring it forward, there’s still plenty of time to run today in Estimates,” she suggested.

Marks confirmed that an announcement will be made as early as April 29, but refused to confirm Henderson’s speculation that it was a senior Reuters executive.

“Senator, I’m not into making announcements during Senate estimates. I understand the question, and an announcement will be made in due course,” Marks said.

Henderson asked whether Stevens’ departure had anything to do with their being too many examples of the “wrong judgment” being exercised over news stories, including 65 corrections and admissions of fault in a single year.

“It does very much look like he was pushed. He was encouraged to resign,” the senator suggested.

However, Marks did not respond directly. He said the future for media was “rapidly changing” and that what had served the ABC in the past might not serve it well in the future.

ABC’s Reporting on Right-Leaning Parties Probed

Later in the hearing, One Nation Senator Malcolm Roberts raised several examples of coverage he claimed demonstrated bias against his conservative-leaning party.

“Nikki Savva made the statement that the Liberal Party, in preferencing One Nation, was aligning with a party, which at its core is racist and bigoted. End of quote. When comments like this are not corrected, they’re not factual, they’re dishonest,” Roberts said.

Gavin Fang, the ABC’s editorial director, responded that Savva was not an ABC journalist but a commentator and made the comments on the show, Insiders, with the specific purpose of political debate.

Roberts then asked about comments by anchor Patricia Karvelas during coverage of the Farrer by-election where One Nation surged to victory to take a seat held by the Coalition since 1949.

Roberts pointed to comments by Karvelas: “Here we’ve had Angus Taylor make a deliberate decision to preference One Nation above the independents, which tonight could really be one of the reasons they get across the line, and that will legitimise them.”

In response, Roberts said, “She’s clearly implying that we’re illegitimate.”

“How is this acceptable commentary? It’s clear bias, and it’s insulting and denigrating,” the senator said.

Fang contrasted that point saying Karvelas had also acknowledged One Nation leader Pauline Hanson had put in “30 years of hard work” to get the party to that point.