Media heavyweights Indira Naidoo and Laura Tingle square off in ABC board showdown
Veteran broadcaster Indira Naidoo is campaigning to be the staff-elected representative on the ABC board.
Two of the ABC’s highest profile journalists, Indira Naidoo and Laura Tingle, will face off against each other for a looming vacancy on the public broadcaster’s board.
Naidoo, who currently hosts the evening program on ABC Radio Sydney, and Tingle, the chief political correspondent on 7.30, have separately nominated themselves for the staff-elected seat on the board, which will become vacant in April.
Both journalists are likely to agitate for more government funding.
Neither Naidoo, 54, nor Tingle, 61, have sought the backing of the media union – unlike the other internal candidates – despite the fact the staff-elected position typically goes to a nominee with the support of either the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance, or the Community and Public Sector Union.
Naidoo, who started her journalism career as a 21-year-old cadet at the ABC, told The Weekend Australian the position on the board was “one of the most critical roles” within the ABC, as the broadcaster’s 4000-odd staff need a “champion” at that level.
“The ABC, for me, is the most important cultural institution in the country,” she said.
“And the ABC is its people – I don’t think that gets remembered often enough.
“I want to be a champion of those staff, I want their concerns to get to board level, to get to upper management … their voice needs to be heard.”
Should Naidoo be elected to the board, one of the central planks of her agenda – a review of the proposed plan to move 75 per cent of staff from its inner-Sydney headquarters in Ultimo to Parramatta in western Sydney by 2025 – will likely put her at loggerheads with chairwoman Ita Buttrose and managing director David Anderson.
Ms Buttrose and Mr Anderson have been the driving forces behind the shift to western Sydney, but the move has been met with fierce resistance by many staff who work in the inner-city office.
According to Naidoo, management has never properly articulated the financial argument for the upheaval, nor have the “practicalities” of the shift to the western suburbs been considered.
“I would like to see exactly how the financials of that decision were made. There’s so many unanswered questions,” she said.
“It will cause untold chaos to program production, put acute daily commuting pressures on staff and interview guests and damage the quality of program-making.
“Not to mention the phenomenal cost of the relocation at a time when staff have been denied a fair and timely wage increase and EA negotiations drag on interminably.”
Tingle was more circumspect when asked for her view on the move to Parramatta.
“I don’t intend giving a running commentary on every issue that is raised,” she said. “I will give considered responses to the people who are actually voting in the election at the appropriate time.”
In an email to staff on Friday announcing her candidature for the staff-elected board position, Naidoo said “wage fairness” would be her top priority.
“Many staff simply can’t afford to live on an ABC wage anymore. Fighting for you for wage fairness will be my priority,” she said.
On Thursday, ABC staff flagged their intention to take strike action in the coming months amid ongoing rancour with management over a new enterprise agreement.
The most recent demand by ABC staff is a 6 per cent wage rise every year for the next three years, and 15.4 per cent in superannuation.
Management’s counter offer was an annual wage rise of 3 per cent.
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