ABC staff cuts: up to 200 jobs to go

EXCLUSIVE | The ABC is working towards a minimum of 200 staff cuts as it grapples with its $84m budget shortfall.

ABC managing director David Andersen, who will brief Ita Buttrose and her board on his five-year plan for the ABC this week. Picture: AAP

Last week, Diary revealed the ABC was making mass redundancy plans for 2020, helped by the toe cutters at management consulting giant LEK. The number we mentioned was 120 redundancies.

That figure now appears conservative. The latest word to Diary is that the ABC is now working towards a minimum of 200 staff cuts, as it grapples with its $84 million budget shortfall.

The rubber will hit the road on Aunty’s cuts at its final 2019 board meeting in Sydney over the next two days, which LEK has helped ABC boss David Anderson to prepare for.

Diary understands Monday will be a special “strategy day”, which will see Anderson brief Ita Buttrose and her board on his five-year plan for the ABC, and on the redundancies. Tuesday will be the ABC’s regular board meeting.

Anderson is expected to publicly unveil his five-year plan for the ABC early next year, with a formal announcement on redundancy numbers by March. The ABC’s staff costs currently stand at just over $500m a year.

Read Nick Tabakoff’s full Media Diary in the paper on Monday and online.