Scott Morrison handed shortlist of three candidates for ABC chairman

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been handed a shortlist of three candidates for the prized role of ABC chairman following last year's implosion at the highest levels of the public broadcaster.

The ABC has been without a permanent chairman and a managing director for more than four months after Justin Milne resigned as chairman amid allegations he told sacked managing director Michelle Guthrie to fire journalists the government didn’t like.

Former ABC chairman Justin Milne and then managing director Michelle Guthrie. Credit: AAP

Global recruitment firm Korn Ferry started the recruitment process, and an independent nominations panel assessed the best candidates.

The nomination panel is chaired by former Treasury head and ex-Westpac board member Ted Evans and includes former Ten and Seven news anchor, newspaper columnist and media director of Ogilvy Public Relations Anne Fulwood, and University of Queensland adjunct professor Sally Pitkin, who was previously a corporate partner with Clayton Utz.

Sources close to the recruitment process said Mr Morrison and Communications Minister Mitch Fifield had received the independent nomination panel's recommendations several weeks ago. The final pick has not yet been sent to cabinet for approval.

The next chairman will be on a five-year contract and is expected to provide guidance and certainty for the public broadcaster after a disruptive 2018. A replacement for Ms Guthrie cannot be found until the new chairman is selected.

There has been speculation high-profile media personality Ita Buttrose has been under consideration for the role, though it is believed she was not among those recommended on the shortlist.

The former News Corp board member, who edited Cleo and The Australian Women’s Weekly before becoming the first female editor of a major metropolitan title as editor-in-chief for Rupert Murdoch’s Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph, spent several years as a host on Network Ten and has appeared on Nine and Seven.

Ms Buttrose said she had not been contacted about the role.

The government is not legally required to pick from the recommended candidates list, though faces significant scrutiny around the selection, with some media industry members pointing to the friendship between Mr Milne and former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull.

This relationship came under fire last year, after revelations a dossier circulated to the board by Ms Guthrie before she was sacked alleged Mr Milne had attempted to intervene on editorial matters including suggesting she "get rid of" high-profile journalists like Emma Alberici. Mr Milne resigned after these details were published in the media.

Ms Guthrie's remuneration for the last financial year totalled $963,991, while Mr Milne was paid $187,213, according to the ABC's 2018 annual report.

Former Fairfax Media chief executive Greg Hywood, Gilbert+Tobin managing director and former National Australia Bank director Danny Gilbert, and former Allens chief executive Michael Rose have been widely considered the top candidates for the chair role. None of them have confirmed or denied participating in the recruitment process.

Current acting chair Kirstin Ferguson did not apply for the permanent role.

Senior ABC sources recently suggested an announcement could be made in February, and were hopeful for a decision to be made quickly.

Ms Guthrie has filed an adverse action lawsuit against the ABC that in part seek to have her reinstated to her former job, and compensated for losses and damages. The ABC is fighting these claim.

The public broadcaster’s supporter group of former staff, ABC Alumni, has asked the government not to make the decision a “captain’s pick” and to hold off choosing the chairman until after the completion of a senate inquiry into allegations of political interference at the broadcaster. This would move the timeline into late-March at the earliest.