ABC: former chairman James Spigelman hits out over Guthrie sacking

Former chairman James Spigelman reveals the barriers in making change at the ABC, expressing surprise at recent drama there.

Former ABC Managing Director Michelle Guthrie with the then chairman of the national broadcaster, James Spigelman. Picture: Jane Dempster

Former ABC chairman James Spigelman says about a quarter of its staff think they can do the best job running the national broadcaster.

Mr Spigelman chaired the ABC board when former managing director Michelle Guthrie, who was fired on Monday, was appointed in 2016. He left the national broadcaster in March last year.

The former chair described the national broadcaster as “a very special organisation” in which it was difficult to effect internal change.

“For the ABC about a quarter of the staff think they can run the show better than anyone.” he told ABC Radio. “It’s a very special organisation the ABC and its got a lot of different units within it, some would say silos ... they look after their own sphere and its very hard to make significant changes but it’s happened and its necessary for it have happened.”

Current ABC chairman Justin Milne is facing calls to step down after it was reported today he told Ms Guthrie to sack chief economics correspondent Emma Alberici after Malcolm Turnbull lodged a complaint concerning an article she wrote on company tax policy.

Mr Spigelman said he had “no idea” why Ms Guthrie was sacked, but said he wouldn’t have pressured her like Mr Milne had.

“I wouldn’t have thought so, well I wouldn’t have done it.” he said. “I was surprised, and I wouldn’t have done it.”

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Mr Spigelman said Ms Guthrie’s reform agenda had the support of the board while he was still chaired.

“Let me say that a number of members of the current board were among her most fervent supporters of her appointment and also the most fervent supporters of her policies at the time I was chair, so something’s happened in her relations with the board and I don’t know what it is.”

Mr Spigelman said Ms Guthrie should be thanked for her work on slashing middle management at the national broadcaster.

The former judge said Ms Guthrie, whose purported poor communication was cited as one of the key problems of her leadership style, said she spoke extensively with senior management during the internal reforms while he was chairman.

“All I can say is that there was quite extensive communications with the senior managers who were all involved with the process,” he said.

“I don’t know what the process was on the second round which was the structural change within the ABC in terms of getting rid of the old platform based organisational structure.”

Mr Spigelman said the ABC was under more political pressure now than when he chairman.

“I think it’s just a function of a government trying, look we saw what happened to Malcolm Turnbull, there’s no point in appeasing bullies.” he said. “All I can say is that it's a function of the government being under pressure from one of its internal groups and reacting to that.”