Key Points
- ABC chief executive David Anderson has apologized to employees who suffered racism at the channel.
- Staff responses in an independent review “overwhelmingly indicate that racism exists” in the ABC workplace.
- Anderson says the ABC is committed to implementing the review’s 15 recommendations.
ABC chief executive David Anderson has apologized to current and former staff who experienced racism at the broadcaster, following the publication of an independent review of its complaints systems and processes support for employees.
The Listen Loudly, Act Strongly journal was announced by Anderson in May 2023 and led by Indigenous lawyer Dr Terri Janke, a Wuthati, Yadhaighana and Meriam woman.
The review was commissioned in response to calls from senior ABC Aboriginal executives and the ABC Bonner committee, which advises the chief executive on Aboriginal issues.
In 2023, Wiradjuri journalist Stan Grant announced his departure from the ABC’s Q+A program in response to racist comments and threats he had received following the channel’s coverage of the coronation.
Grant said at the time that no producer or ABC executive had refuted what was written about him, calling him an “institutional failure.”
Anderson later apologized to Grant, saying he “always had our full support” and “made a huge contribution to conversations of national importance.”
David Anderson’s apology
In a statement to ABC staff, Anderson apologized for “any racist behavior and past harm suffered by our Indigenous and CALD employees, whether current or former employees”.
“We must all do better for our colleagues by upholding our commitment to zero tolerance for racism in our workplace,” he said.
The review included interviews with 120 current and former ABC employees to learn their views and said their responses “overwhelmingly indicate that racism exists in the ABC workplace and that ABC staff ABC is subject to racism from external people and organizations in the course of their work.”
The review made 15 recommendations to improve the ABC’s systems around racism, including requiring the ABC board, chief executive, senior management and staff to read the review in its entirety , recommending that the ABC become “proactively anti-racist” and improve its responses to public attacks.
Anderson is committed to implementing all recommendations made in the review.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the ABC pledged to launch an internal campaign to “raise awareness of racism and discrimination and make it easier for staff to report instances of racism and discrimination”.
ABC said it would begin specific anti-racism training for staff in addition to its current anti-bullying and harassment training.
The broadcaster has also created a new role within its leadership team, Director of First Nations Strategy, to implement these changes. The ABC’s current head of Indigenous, diversity and inclusion, Kelly Williams, was asked to take up the role before the recruitment process began.
Dan Bouchier, Chairman of the Bonner Committee, welcomed the ABC’s commitment to implementing the study’s recommendations and said: “Australians expect more from the ABC to ensure it remains the premier institution that she is. »
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