Sydney Morning Herald columnist Elizabeth Farrelly ’terminated’ after ‘five-minute’ phone call

The 30-year career of one of Australia’s best-known newspaper columnists has come to an abrupt end, after she was let go in a brief phone call.

Prominent newspaper columnist Elizabeth Farrelly has hit back after being sacked from her job of three decades in what she described as a “ruthless king hit”.

Ms Farrelly, who worked for The Sydney Morning Herald for 30 years and is well-known as a vocal architecture and environment advocate, revealed the “termination” on Facebook late on Sunday afternoon.

In an article published last night, the publication explained the decision was made by incoming editor Bevan Shields “after Farrelly failed to disclose that she had registered as a candidate for the Labor Party in the Strathfield local government elections when she wrote a piece criticising Liberal and independent councillors in the electorate”, which was published on December 4, the day of the elections.

An editor’s note explaining her registration was added to the piece last Friday, however Farrelly had already decided not to run for election.

But this Sunday, Mr Shields – who is currently in the UK – called Ms Farrelly to terminate her employment.

Speaking to news.com.au on Monday, Ms Farrelly described the sacking as “disgraceful”, and said she feared it represented a wider threat to freedom of expression.

“It just seems bizarre to me first of all for such a minor, innocent, inadvertent misdemeanour to be so dramatically and irreversibly over-punished,” she said, claiming it “suggests some sort of higher-up, political agenda that potentially makes the whole thing more sinister”.

“It means our intellectual freedom as a culture is at risk. The personal issue is grossly unjust, but the bigger picture is what is happening to our culture on the whole?” she added.

“If you clamp down on freedom of thought and freedom of speech, that’s more concerning in a way.”

The termination sparked a furious Facebook post by the outspoken columnist on Sunday afternoon.

“Today, after a working relationship lasting more than three decades, my time with the Sydney Morning Herald came to an abrupt end,” she posted.

“According to the five-minute out-of-the-blue phone call I received from the new editor on the other side of the world, this termination is due to an apparent lack of transparency on my part.”

Ms Farrelly confirmed she had joined the Labor Party but insisted her failure to disclose her registration was a mere oversight, and not an intentional plan to mislead her employer or the public.

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SMH columnist Elizabeth Farrelly.

New SMH editor Bevan Shields. Picture: LinkedIn

“There was brief chatter about my making a possible tilt at a state or federal seat or perhaps joining the local council,” she continued.

“It was unresolved and I was only vaguely interested but, on the last day before registrations closed … simply to keep my options open, I registered my interest online.

“I was not preselected for the Labor federal candidate, nor for the Labor Council ticket, so I did not run in the recent council election.”

While Ms Farrelly helped hand out flyers on election day and had an ALP placard in her yard for several weeks, she said “it did not cross my mind to tell the Herald of my registration as a potential candidate”, describing it as an “oversight on my part” – although she claimed there was “no undisclosed conflict of interest of which my readers should have been made aware”.

“I’d be dishonest not to admit that this new change in direction scares me to death,” she concluded.

“On the other hand, it’s time for a change and I am determined to transform the Herald’s ruthless king-hit into a new opportunity. Watch this space.”

In the article announcing Ms Farrelly’s departure, Mr Shields thanked her for her “longstanding contribution to the Herald”.

“The Herald is determined to extend its coverage of urban design and architecture, and this will include new voices in our opinion pages in 2022,” he said.

“Elizabeth’s registration as a Labor candidate should have been disclosed to us and our readers.

“Her registration makes future contributions very difficult given the close connection between urban development and politics.”

News.com.au contacted Mr Shields for additional comment.