ABC boss David Anderson says Laura Tingle will keep her job despite the ‘hurt’ her controversial remarks caused

Managing director David Anderson concedes Laura Tingle’s attack on Peter Dutton’s policies have ‘hurt’ the ABC’s ‘ability to be impartial’, but that she will keep her job.

“Laura Tingle certainly has my continued backing to continue the good work that she does on the ABC," ABC Managing director David Anderson said at a Senate estimates hearing on Thursday.

High-profile ABC political journalist Laura Tingle will keep her job, despite the head of the public broadcaster admitting the star reporter’s attack on Peter Dutton’s housing and migration policies had “hurt” the media organisation’s “ability to be impartial”.

Appearing at a Senate estimates hearing on Thursday, ABC managing director David Anderson said it was “a mistake and a misstep” for Tingle to claim that Mr Dutton’s housing and migration policies were encouraging migrants to be abused at open home inspections, but noted that she had been reprimanded.

Mr Anderson also admitted Tingle’s extraordinary public attack on Mr Dutton constituted a clear breach of the media organisation’s guidelines, but backed her to “continue her good work” as one of the ABC’s most experienced and highly paid journalists.

“Laura Tingle certainly has my continued backing to continue the good work that she does on the ABC, and has done in the past, and will continue to do in the future,” Mr Anderson said.

He bristled at the suggestion that Tingle – who also told a Sydney Writers Festival audience on Sunday that “Australia is a racist country” – had escaped censure over her comments.

“She has been counselled on the matter, (that) would suggest that she’s not got off scot-free,” Mr Anderson said.

Liberal senator Sarah Henderson asked Mr Anderson about ABC chair Kim Williams’ recent comments about “impartiality” and how those journalists who fail to observe it should leave the public broadcaster.

“I don’t believe Laura Tingle should leave the ABC,” Mr Anderson said. “What Ms Tingle said in conversation off the cuff at the Sydney Writers Festival, she has regretted not having context and analysis with it, but everything else she has recorded on (the ABC’s) platforms, I think that journalism stands the test of scrutiny.”

Mr Anderson said he had ­spoken to Mr Williams about Tingle’s comments, but “he had not provided me with advice”.

Asked about the ABC’s expectations of Tingle’s political coverage, Mr Anderson said: “As 7.30 chief political correspondent, Ms Tingle is required to ensure her comments, even in an external event, have sufficient context to support the statements made.

“Our political commentators … are tasked to critique all sides of politics. Ms Tingle has criticised the current government over some of their policy with regard to what they’re putting forward.”

At the Sydney Writers Festival on Sunday, Tingle said that after watching Mr Dutton’s budget reply speech, she felt a “terrible chill” and had “this sudden flash of people turning up to try and rent a property or at an auction and they look a bit different – whatever you define different as – that basically he (Mr Dutton) has given them licence to be abused and in any circumstance where people feel they’re missing out”.

Mr Anderson also defended her role as the ABC’s staff-elected board member. “Ms Tingle is an excellent board member and it is not up to me, it is up to the chair (Mr Williams) to decide whether or not (the position of) any member of the board … is tenable or not,” he said.

Mr Anderson told the hearing it remained a “challenge” for ABC journalists to remain impartial.

“They shouldn’t do anything that undermines their ability to (observe) impartiality … when it comes to fulfilling their work,” he said. “Certainly throughout the next 12 months, or however long to the next federal election, it’s something that’s important to us and we have strict and rigorous guidelines on what it is that we’re doing.”

Mr Anderson was also asked by Liberal senator Dave Sharma about the future of political chat show Q+A, with the ABC boss admitting that he was “keen to ­explore if there’s another way to do that format”.

Under heavy questioning, Mr Anderson eventually revealed that there had recently been two staff redundancies at Q+A,

Senator Henderson asked Mr Anderson if the show “was on the chopping block”. The ABC boss denied the program was facing the axe, but only offered muted support for its future. Q+A has been dogged by dwindling ratings over the past two years.

“The world of screen production is that generally, nothing is forever,” he said.

“You should be examining the programs you’ve got, the impact they have and whether they resonate for the audience. I don’t shy away from needing to explore new ideas for things.”

The ABC’s editorial director, Gavin Fang, was asked about the cancellation of award-winning Jewish singer songwriter Deborah Conway’s appearance on the ABC’s Victorian Evenings radio show earlier this year, allegedly because of her outspoken support for Israel.

Mr Fang said Conway’s ­appearance was cancelled because a producer was “unsure” about whether to continue with her invitation, a ­decision that was later overturned.

Mr Fang said that, a couple of days later, the program apologised to Conway “and that apology was accepted”.