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Key points
- ABC director David Anderson has apologized to employees who experienced racism at the broadcaster.
- Employee responses during an independent assessment “overwhelmingly indicate that racism exists” in the ABC workplace.
- Anderson says the ABC is committed to implementing all 15 of the review’s 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 into its employee complaints systems and processes.
The Listen Loudly, Act Strongly review was announced by Anderson in May 2023 and led by Indigenous lawyer Dr Terri Janke, a woman from Wuthati, Yadhaighana and Meriam.
The review was carried out in response to calls from senior staff at ABC Indigenous and the ABC Bonner Committee, who advise the chief executive on Indigenous affairs.
In 2023, Wiradjuri journalist Stan Grant announced his departure from the ABC’s Q+A program in response to racist comments and threats he received following the broadcaster’s coronation coverage.
Grant said at the time that no ABC producer or executive had refuted what was written about him, calling it an “institutional failure.”
Anderson later apologized to Grant, saying he “always had our full support” and “contributes enormously to conversations of national importance.”
Apologies from David Anderson
In a statement to ABC staff, Anderson apologized for “any racist behavior and past harms experienced by our Indigenous and CALD employees, both currently and previously employed.”
“We all need to do better for our colleagues in our commitment to zero tolerance for racism in our workplace,” he said.
The assessment included interviews with 120 current and former ABC employees to hear their perspectives and said their responses “overwhelmingly indicate that racism exists in the ABC workplace and that ABC employees are exposed to racism from outside individuals and organizations in connection with their work”.
The review made 15 recommendations to improve the ABC’s systems around racism, including requiring the ABC’s board, director, senior leadership and staff to read the review in full, recommending that the ABC be “proactively anti-racist ” and improves its responses to these issues. public attacks.
Anderson has committed to implementing all recommendations from the evaluation.
In a statement published on Tuesday, the ABC committed to launching an internal campaign to “raise awareness of racism and discrimination and make it easier for staff to report incidents of racism and discrimination”.
ABC said it would also launch specific anti-racism training for staff in addition to its current anti-bullying and harassment training.
The broadcaster has also created a new role on its leadership team, director of First Nations strategy, to implement these changes. The ABC’s current head of Indigenous, Diversity and Inclusion, Kelly Williams, has been asked to step into the role before a recruitment process begins.
Dan Bouchier, chairman of the Bonner Commission, welcomed the ABC’s commitment to implementing the review’s recommendations, saying: “Australian people expect more from the ABC to ensure it remains the important institution that is.”
Readers seeking mental health support can contact Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636. More information is available at . supports people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
Lifeline crisis support is available on 13 11 14 or on . First Nations readers can read a . Resources for young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people can be found at .
