ABC managing director David Anderson reveals racism review hasn’t started three months after he announced it

David Anderson announced the independent review three months ago following fallout involving former Q+A host Stan Grant, who said the ABC didn’t support him over racial abuse.

ABC Managing Director David Anderson. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

ABC managing director David Anderson has revealed that a review into racism impacting staff has not started despite him announcing it three months ago.

He announced the review in May following the fallout involving former Q+A host Stan Grant, who criticised the public broadcaster for not supporting him after he received racial abuse following a controversial panel discussion that aired on the night of King Charles III’s Coronation.

When asked on ABC Melbourne’s morning program by presenter Virginia Trioli on Thursday if the review had started, Mr Anderson said: “No, it hasn’t. It’s important to get things going, find a chair, it’s taken a bit of time, I think it’s important to get that right.”

Mr Anderson said he had been working with the ABC’s Bonner Committee – an advisory committee that deals with issues relating to Indigenous staff at the ABC.

He said the ABC is yet to set out the terms of reference of the independent review.

“The review is looking at what we have at the ABC, so if staff experience racism, and they certainly do through members of the public which is unfortunate, how we provide support,” Mr Anderson said.

Former ABC presenter Stan Grant.

“If there’s any loss of faith or confidence within the ABC that will come through in the review … we will take our time and ensure it’s done properly.”

Staff at the ABC have complained about racism including voice correspondent and host of The Drum Dan Bourchier, an Indigenous man, who said in May he didn’t want to appear on programs to just tick a box.

“I’m dismissed as your diversity pick or a box ticker, that comes from within our organisation and that sends a message that that type of language is normal. It’s not and it’s unacceptable,” he said on the Insiders program.

On the evening of King Charles III’s coronation in May, the ABC aired a 45-minute panel dominated by pro-republican voices that discussed at length colonisation and racism in Australia and blamed the British monarchy for some of it.

The discussion, overseen by executive producer Tim Ayliffe, was led by presenters Jeremy Fernandez and Julia Baird and guests included former Q+A host Grant, a Wiradjuri, Gurrawin and Dharawal man, Indigenous lawyer Teela Reid, a Wiradjuri and Wailwan woman, Australian Republic Movement co-chair Craig Foster and Liberal MP Julian Leeser.

The broadcast resulted in nearly 2000 written complaints to the ABC and a petition signed by nearly 10,000 people from Australia and abroad, airing their concerns about the panel.

Mr Anderson was also asked about his handling of Grant’s grievances at the ABC and The Australian’s exclusive report that ABC management investigated a complaint involving the Indigenous hostwith a senior ABC colleague which occurred in the foyer of its Ultimo studios in January.

Grant admitted in a LinkedIn post this week, that he was “involved in an unfortunate disagreement with a respected colleague” and “should have behaved better”.

Mr Anderson said it was “an internal matter” and Grant “should be judged on his journalism and his contribution to Australian media”.

“Stan is an important part of Australian media, he has been an outstanding journalist and still is an outstanding journalist,” he said.

Trioli remarked, “Yet he is publicly saying that the ABC fails to back him, the ABC leaves him out on his own, it’s part of the reason clearly why he left the ABC”.

Mr Anderson said, “I did apologise that off the back of the King’s Coronation coverage, we didn’t publicly back Stan enough and we should have done that earlier”.

“In hindsight we should have done a better job in sticking up for Stan,” he said.

Mr Anderson, has been reappointed as managing director for another five years from July 1, 2023.

Trioli asked him about the departure of chair Ita Buttrose, who finishes her five-year term in March and who will replace her.

“Whoever gets appointed to this, they need to be somebody who understands that we are there for the Australian people no matter what, they need to understand the independence of the ABC and fight for it,” he said.

“There are moments in any chair’s term that you need to fight for the independence of the ABC.

“You want an experienced chair like Ita’s been.

“We are the most criticised, scrutinised media organisation in the country, no matter what we do, so someone who can be tough enough to ride that out and again, come back, to what is the core purpose of the ABC.”

Trioli also revealed on air on Thursday that she will finish hosting her program on September 15 and will launch a new series featuring high-profile arts interviews on ABC TV in 2024.

Her departure comes amid long-running issues within the ABC’s radio arm and inability to connect to audiences that has led to falling ratings.

Trioli has been in the role for four years and told listeners, “it’s been a difficult period of dealing with multiple illneses in my family”.

Trioli’s program has suffered declining ratings – she will announce her replacement on air on Friday.