Journalist Laura Tingle wins staff election for ABC board position
Journalist Laura Tingle has been elected by staff to sit on the board of the publicly-funded media giant.
High-profile ABC journalist Laura Tingle, who is chief political correspondent on the national broadcaster’s flagship political program 7.30, has been elected by staff to sit on the board of the publicly funded media giant.
Tingle, 62, scored a narrow victory over 45-year-old business journalist Daniel Ziffer, who had the backing of the nation’s biggest media union, the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance.
Tingle will replace Jane Connors, whose five-year tenure as the staff-elected director on the board expires on April 30.
The position carries a salary of $58,670. Tingle will continue as a journalist while she sits on the board alongside ABC chair Ita Buttrose, managing director David Anderson, and four other non-executive directors.
It is likely that the federal government will appoint two more directors to the board in coming months.
In her emailed pitch to staff on March 1, Tingle said: “I reckon my long career in journalism – in the private sector and now at the public broadcaster – as well as my long experience in the realpolitik of Canberra, and as a board member, gives me the tools and experience to be a powerful advocate for staff. I can make a significant contribution. And I want to.
“We have to be vigilant about protecting what to me is the unique heart and soul of the ABC – its regional offices right across the country – and maximising their capacity to reach into national conversations as the digital wave sweeps over us.”
The Australian Electoral Commission declared Tingle the winner on Friday evening; it was revealed that Ziffer scored more primary votes than Tingle, but after preferences were counted, the political journalist emerged the winner by just 30 votes.
Tingle declined to comment when approached on Friday.
More Coverage
Tonagh quits ABC board early
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland and an independent panel will now need to find a replacement for the ABC’s deputy chairman just months out from a federal election.
The Australian’s 50 Best Photos of 2024
From the US election to the Paris Olympics, from natural disasters to wars, and from tragedies to triumphs, as well as the 60th Anniversary of The Australian, 2024 was the best of times and worst of times.