‘Must do better’: ABC boss David Anderson apologises to staff over racial slurs

Staff making derogatory and offensive remarks are among explosive revelations from the taxpayer-funded broadcaster’s racism review, prompting an apology from boss David Anderson.

ABC staff have been subjected to systemic racism including racial slurs, derogatory and offensive comments about their appearance, stereotyping and being mistaken for someone else because of their racial appearance, an explosive new report has found.

An independent review has found journalists at the public broadcaster were told their voices and appearances were “too Western Sydney” for broadcast, and that they would avoid redundancies because they were “diversity hires.”

Managing director David Anderson issued an apology to employees – both past and present – who experienced racism after the taxpayer-funded broadcaster released its independent racism review on Tuesday, 17 months after it was first announced.

He said anti-racism training will be rolled out at the ABC.

“On behalf of everyone at the ABC, I am sorry for any and all racist behaviour and past harms experienced by our Indigenous and CALD (culturally and linguistically diverse) employees, either currently or formerly employed,” Mr Anderson said on Tuesday.

“We all need to do better for our colleagues on our commitment to zero tolerance for racism in our workplace.”

ABC managing director David Anderson. Picture: Martin Ollman/NewsWire

The ABC has accepted in principle 15 recommendations including that all staff read the report, the ABC commit to being proactively anti-racist, improve diverse representation at management level and better understand lived experiences by staff to help with storytelling and create culturally-safe support systems.

Another recommendation is to improve the ABC’s response to public attacks including on social media and that a staff member immediately reports an attack to a centralised and independent team.

Mr Anderson announced a racism review on May 21 last year following the fallout involving former Indigenous ABC host Stan Grant, a Wiradjuri, Dharawal and Gurrawin man, who said he had been subject to “sickening behaviour” over his coverage prior to King Charles III’s coronation.

Grant said at the time he felt unsupported by his employer.

“No one at the ABC — whose producers invited me onto their coronation coverage as a guest — has uttered one word of public support.

“Not one ABC executive has publicly refuted the lies written or spoken about me.”

Mr Anderson apologised to Grant over the matter.

The 171-page report titled Listen Loudly, Act Strongly, led by Indigenous lawyer Terri Janke, a Wuthathi, Yadhaighana and Meriam woman, included 120 participants – both past and present ABC staff including Indigenous and CALD employees – and revealed a “lack of shared understanding of racism among ABC Leadership”.

The report also found: “People who are First Nations and CALD expressed not feeling valued in the workplace, and tokenised.

“There is a cultural issue throughout the organisation that allows racism to exist and persist at the ABC, which has caused widespread distrust in these systems among First Nations and CALD staff.”

ABC Q+A host Stan Grant on his final show on Monday, May 22, 2023, before taking indefinite leave. Picture: ABC.

One participant told the review that they were told: “how much of you is Aboriginal? Don’t worry. You don’t look it’.”

The ABC will launch an internal campaign to help boost awareness of racism and create a new position, First Nations Strategy director, to join the ABC’s leadership team who will report to Mr Anderson and help implement the 15 recommendations in the report.

The ABC’s head of Indigenous, diversity and inclusion Kelly Williams will do this role until a new managing director replaces outgoing boss Mr Anderson.

A recruitment process will then begin.

Mr Anderson also said: “For anyone who thinks it is OK to display or practise racist behaviour, or who thinks they can make people feel belittled based on their identity, we will call you out and remove you from this organisation.

“You are not welcome here.

“We are a workplace that values respect, and we expect it.”

Originally published as ‘Must do better’: ABC boss David Anderson apologises to staff over racial slurs